Pritzker dismisses property tax break for Bears at forum, urges action on transit fix: ‘We all have to pay’

Gov. JB Pritzker ruled out a property tax break for a Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights while keeping the door open on infrastructure aid at an Economic Club of Chicago forum Tuesday.

The governor also urged action on pulling public transit out of a budget hole, and spurned a proposed head tax on corporations in the city.

The Bears are pursuing a stadium/mixed-use development at the former Arlington Park and seek an extended property tax reprieve and $855 million in infrastructure subsidies.

Pritzker noted the Bears are a successful franchise valued at $9 billion. “Building a couple billion-dollar stadium for them, promising that they won’t pay any property taxes, we shouldn’t do that. That’s not good for the taxpayers,” he said.

“When companies come to the state of Illinois … and they want help to grow, or build something new and big — we help. We help them with infrastructure, we help them in a lot of different ways,” Pritzker said.

“What I’m not for — is that we’re responsible for building your factory. Or we’re responsible for building your new headquarters. We’re not. We can help you. We’ll build roads. We’ll help you with incentives.”

And, “taxpayers should not be left on the hook” for millions in debt from 2003 Soldier Field renovations, Pritzker said.

Meanwhile, transit faces a $230 million shortfall in 2026, which will reach $834 million in 2027 and continue spiraling, officials predict. State lawmakers are considering a bailout for Metra, Pace and the CTA during the fall veto session that ends Oct. 30.

“It’s not just a state effort,” Pritzker said in answer to a question from moderator Chris Jones, a Chicago Tribune editor.

“The transportation systems themselves need to find efficiencies, and we’ve demanded that of them. We need reforms in the way that it’s governed, and that is going to be part of a bill. And, counties and the city are contributors … along with the state. It’s not just, ‘what are you going to do about it?’ It’s, ‘what are we going to do about it?’” he said.

The governor suggested that some Republicans will balk at a Democratic rescue plan, but said a “world-class system” will be transformative for the economy and riders.

“And guess what — that means you’ve got to pay for it. Somebody’s got to pay. We all have to pay. The riders have to pay. We all want something great for this region and for the rest of the state,” Pritzker said.

He added, “I’m asking the legislature that they do it in the veto session.”

The governor also rejected a proposal in Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s budget for a “head tax “on employees at larger businesses.

“I am absolutely foursquare opposed to a head tax for the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said. “It penalizes the very thing that we want, which is … more employment in the city. And, it makes it very hard to attract companies from outside of Chicago to come in and harder for companies that are in Chicago to stay.”