The Chicago Bears reassured Arlington Heights’ top negotiators they have not made a decision about where their final stadium site will be, a day after the team said it has a “vision to build a world-class stadium” near Hammond, Indiana.
Arlington Heights Village Manager Randy Recklaus said village officials had a “productive” meeting with the team on Wednesday. The village got a heads-up the team was also making progress in Indiana and planned to release a statement Thursday.
“They also reassured us in that same phone call that that does not mean that there’s been a pivot to Indiana,” Recklaus said.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, however, said the Bears’ statement about Hammond surprised him. He said despite promises made across the border, there’s a limit to what Illinois taxpayers are willing to spend.
“Honestly, I think the Bears need to make their intentions known. Those intentions could be that they want to continue to talk to both states, but I think they need to be; they need to clarify that,” Pritzker said.
Stadium talks were underway in Arlington Heights on Thursday and Friday after the Hammond announcement, and talks will continue next week.
“We are making tremendous progress. We are very optimistic about our odds of getting a deal done for Illinois and Arlington Heights,” Recklaus said.
He knows the clock is ticking, with the Indiana House set to vote on its stadium authority bill on Monday. It already cleared a House committee this week and the Indiana Senate in January. Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has signaled if it passes the House, he would sign it.
“We know that (the team is) looking at Indiana, and they’re looking at these things in parallel tracks. It creates a sense of urgency for us in Illinois that we have to respect. But everyone is still engaged, and everyone is trying to do their best to keep the Bears in Illinois,” Recklaus said.
Indiana’s deal would be a public-private partnership, with the Bears chipping in $2 billion and the state chipping in about $1 billion. Pritzker said he is not willing to match that by providing public funding. He is willing to help them meet infrastructure demands around the former racetrack site.
“I have set parameters for this since the very beginning. I think I’ve been very clear: I’m not going to do anything that’s bad for the taxpayers of the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “We’re not going to build them a stadium. I don’t think the taxpayers want us to build them a stadium.”
Arlington Heights officials remain hopeful lawmakers will pass a megaprojects bill to give the team property tax certainty despite the cancelation of a hearing in Springfield on Thursday. Recklaus said the hearing was not canceled due to a lack of progress. The bill could be heard in a committee next week.
A previous sticking point for Chicago Democrats was requiring the team to pay off Soldier Field before they could move to the suburbs. It’s unclear whether that’s still on the table.
“The Bears and representatives of the city are talking about that on the side. I can tell you that all the right people are engaged in the conversation,” Recklaus said.
Reporters also asked Pritzker if the team goes to Hammond, does he see that as a negotiating failure from the state?
“No. I view that there’s a limit to what the taxpayers of Illinois are willing to spend on a stadium or on infrastructure and everything else … Remember, we have a lot of things we need to invest in that are a benefit to the daily lives of people across the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.