Daily Herald opinion: There’s still room for talks: But time is growing short for state to take up bill that could keep Bears in Illinois

In addressing priorities for the new legislative session in Springfield, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was quick to reiterate what he has said in the past: Tax breaks to help the Chicago Bears commit to building a new stadium in Arlington Heights are not high on his to-do list.

Welch, in a Capitol News Illinois article earlier this week, dismissed the team’s threats to move to northwest Indiana — despite the warm welcome the Bears appear to be getting there — as “leverage.”

“Chicago is very much a part of their identity,” he said of the team.

That’s true, of course. And Welch’s leverage argument may be true as well.

Still, Illinois lawmakers should be taking Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren’s threat seriously. The lure of lower taxes, cheaper construction costs and a greater sense of legislative urgency across state lines cannot be ignored. In fact, a bill related to the possible relocation is already before lawmakers there, making Illinois’ inaction all the more glaring.

Arlington Heights officials last week made a strong case for Illinois to step up before it’s too late.

At a news conference last Friday, Mayor Jim Tinaglia pushed lawmakers to take up the megaproject bill that would enable the Bears to build a $5 billion stadium and mixed-use entertainment district on the former Arlington Park racetrack property the team purchased in 2023.

Yet the measure, which would allow the Bears to negotiate directly with local taxing bodies and obtain greater tax certainty, has languished for three long years.

The numbers explain clearly why some tax consideration would be needed to convince the NFL team to move forward on the 326-acre site.

Tinaglia pointed to estimates that the Bears’ annual property tax bill could be $100 million to $200 million once the property is developed. Currently, he said, the next highest tax bill for a private stadium in the U.S. is $8.8 million at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

That’s a monstrously large difference, and one that will need to be addressed in some form to keep the Bears in Illinois — and shut down talk of heading to the Hoosier state.

The Illinois General Assembly has important issues to address in the coming months, including a massive deficit forecast for the next fiscal year. That and other economic issues must remain a top priority in Springfield.

But there is still room to address the Bears’ ask.

Former Republican state Rep. Mark Batinick of Plainfield, now a consultant, released an analysis of the Bears’ stadium search last week. He argues that the right package would benefit taxpayers, local government bodies and the state.

Without a “reasonable” property tax cap, the Bears could leave Illinois, meaning “no stadium, no development and 100% of nothing,” he wrote in the report.

Taxpayers and Bears fans deserve better. In terms any football fan can appreciate, Tinaglia summed it up perfectly last week: “We cannot fumble this opportunity.”