Chicago Bears rumored to be seeking ‘end-around’ legislation for new stadium: Report

The Bears might have been operating in a similar fashion so the Illinois legislature would pass megadevelopment and megaproject measures to help the team receive the tax breaks they need to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

Per Justin Laurence of Crain’s Chicago Business, one piece of legislation would have allowed developers investing at least $500 million to have their property tax frozen for decades as long as they have signed labor peace agreements and negotiate with local taxing bodies on an “annual payment in lieu of taxes,” known as PILOT.

Illinois representative Kam Buckner, a democrat from Chicago, told Laurence that there were a few bills that were rumored to have megaproject legislation friendly to the Bears. One such bill had an amendment that would have provided up to $75 million from bonds backed by an increase in state sales taxes tied to the development project.

The bill was ostensibly made to look like it would exclude projects for sports teams, but the amendment’s language included a vague line that it only excluded projects where the “primary purpose” was for a sports stadium.

Because the Bears’ new stadium will host concerts and other entertainment events that will supersede the number of 8-11 NFL games per year, there was a worry among legislators that the Bears could use that language as a loophole to receive the bonds. Representative Jay Hoffman said in defense of the bill that the language was meant to block stadiums.

A lecture to Kevin Warren and his staff

Per Laurence, Buckner had a lecture for the Bears after the three bills tied to the team failed to pass the spring legislation period, suggesting the team might have been using “end-around” tactics to jam a bill through for the stadium project.

“If the Bears were trying to use some kind of end-around of procedures to get what they needed in Springfield, I think — number one — that was the wrong thing to do. Number two, this should be proof positive to them, that sunlight and scrutiny is the best way forward,” Buckner said. “If it’s such a good idea, let’s pull back the layers and do it in public.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has been steadfast in his stance that the Bears should not receive public help for the new stadium until the team can present a plan that will benefit taxpayers. Bears CEO Kevin Warren and his team will have to come up with a better plan for the fall legislative session.

Like the Bears learned with Matt Nagy, defenses can sniff out playcallers who rely on getting cute to win games.