Will legislature act on ‘mega project’ bill to help Bears’ suburban shift?

The Chicago Bears are poised to move to the suburbs. But are Illinois lawmakers — and local taxpayers — going to help them do it?

Legislators returning to Springfield for the fall veto session that opened Tuesday could soon debate proposals to provide property tax incentives — like assessment freezes or negotiated tax bills — to the team and other so-called “mega project” developers.

Some say an NFL franchise worth billions doesn’t need tax breaks and contend those incentives could hurt existing taxpayers.

But in a rarity in today’s hyperpolarized politics, viewpoints don’t appear to fall along partisan lines, with Republicans and Democrats both in favor and wary of the proposals on the table.

Among those proposals is a bill sponsored by state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a Democrat from Arlington Heights, where the Bears plan to build a new stadium on the former Arlington Park site.

Canty’s bill would allow mega projects — defined as those in which at least $500 million is invested within seven to 10 years — to freeze their property tax assessments and make annual payments negotiated through a local review board that would include representatives from municipalities and other local governments.

Such incentive arrangements could last up to 40 years.

Though Canty’s proposal doesn’t expressly mention the Bears — and she says it wasn’t prompted by the NFL franchise’s expected relocation — team officials have indicated they’re looking for that type of incentive package, along with public funding to cover $855 million in infrastructure costs.

Canty’s legislation would give taxing bodies like school, park and library districts weighted votes on the local review board, in proportion to their share of the property tax levy. That ensures everyone has a “real and meaningful seat” at the table, she said.

State Rep. Steve Reick, a Woodstock Republican, said his initial response is that any tax break for the Bears to move to Arlington Heights “is a de facto subsidy” to a company “that can well afford to pay the property taxes.”

“I’m not in favor of greasing the wheels for any company worth $9 billion more than me,” Reick said. “Why should the Bears be getting any exemptions when you know those costs are going to be passed on to the local taxpayers?”

Yet many of his GOP colleagues look favorably on the proposal.

State Sen. Don DeWitte, a St. Charles Republican, said he’s “generally supportive” of giving mega project developers protection against property tax spikes or uncertainty.

“I believe this is the type of project that could generationally transform the suburbs from the Tri-State Tollway to Route 47, from Crystal Lake all the way to Joliet,” DeWitte said. “I think they deserve to know what their taxes are going to be.”

Rockford-area Republican state Sen. Dave Syverson said details of any final legislation will need to be considered, but he supports the concept of the Bears and state teaming up to get a facility in Arlington Heights.

“If done responsibly, this project could have a major economic impact on both the region and the state, creating thousands of construction jobs and positioning Illinois to host a Super Bowl, as well as major concerts and conventions we currently cannot accommodate,” Syverson said in a statement.

State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, an Oswego Democrat, also said she supports the mega development legislation as an economic development tool for projects that will create jobs. She likes that tax negotiations would be handled at the local level.

But skeptics on both sides of the aisle aren’t convinced that a tax break for a mega project wouldn’t shift the burden onto homeowners.

State Sen. Andrew Chesney, a Freeport Republican, said he is “not in favor of crony capitalism.”

“I support broad-based tax relief that doesn’t choose winners and losers. These kinds of tax incentives tend to shift the tax load so that others are carrying a heavier burden,” he added.

Democratic state Rep. Anne Stava of Naperville cited similar reasons for her opposition to Canty’s bill in its current form.

“Property taxes are already a huge burden for too many families, so giving special property tax breaks to billionaires and developers is tone deaf. … If local governments want to give tax breaks, they should go ahead. But they should bear the cost, not shift it to others,” Stava said.

State Rep. Republican Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills said the proposal “is especially troubling” given the state’s needs in education, housing and health care.

“Taxpayer dollars would be far better invested in these critical areas rather than subsidizing a private sports team,” he said.

State Sen. Craig Wilcox, a McHenry Republican, likes certain elements of Canty’s bill, like the local board of review concept, but also has questions and concerns. Governments at any level don’t usually do well against big corporations in negotiations, he added.

One area where there’s more common ground is on providing public money to offset infrastructure costs for things like roads and public transit. The Bears’ move would necessitate such improvements, but the public would also benefit.

Reick is “not dead-set” against that kind of public funding, saying it’s the government’s job to provide such services and the cost shouldn’t fall to other local taxpayers.