‘Positive signs of movement’: Bears bill set for first hearing in Springfield this week

Sunday marks three years since the Bears closed on the $197.2 million purchase of the former Arlington Park racetrack.

Now, long-stalled legislation that would give the NFL franchise a long-term property tax break and pave the way to construction of a stadium complex on the prime Northwest suburban acreage is finally set to move this week in Springfield.

House Bill 2789 — otherwise known as the megaproject, or Payments in Lieu of Taxes, legislation — is set for a hearing at 8 a.m. Thursday before the House Revenue and Finance Committee. Legislators return for the spring session Tuesday, ahead of Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State and budget address to a joint session of the House and Senate Wednesday.

But the major players — Pritzker and his staff, legislators from both chambers and Bears brass — have been meeting behind closed doors since the team announced in December it was expanding its stadium search to Northwest Indiana.

Those talks are happening now almost daily, according to Rep. Mary Beth Canty, the Arlington Heights Democrat who is sponsor of the Bears-backed legislation.

“You are definitely seeing positive signs of movement,” said Canty, whose 54th District includes the 326-acre shuttered racecourse property. “You’re seeing people that are moving with a purpose. They are moving quickly, but still in a way that is smart and methodical.”

The financing mechanism outlined in the bill would allow the Bears — or any developer spending at least $500 million on a project statewide — to negotiate tax payments directly with affected local governments.

But much is still to be hashed out, including how to make taxpayers whole from the lingering 2003 Soldier Field renovation debt of more than $500 million. Some type of measure to pay down that number — held by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority — is likely key to getting support from the Chicago delegation for a tax deal that would clear the way to a new stadium in the suburbs.

Canty said it’s an issue that everyone in Springfield is “mindful of.”

“What I think you’re going to see across the board from legislators in the city, outside of the city, up and down the state, the governor’s office — everyone has a vested interest in protecting Illinois taxpayers and residents and in keeping our financial footing sound,” she said.

There have also been suggestions that affordability measures be incorporated into a final deal, such as lower ticket prices for fans.

Pritzker has been receptive to the NFL club’s request for close to $1 billion worth of infrastructure upgrades around Arlington Park.

Lawmakers have an urgency to work out a deal because of the Bears’ stadium play now in motion in Indiana. That state’s Senate passed a bill on Jan. 28 to create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority, which would acquire land and issue bonds to pay for a new publicly owned stadium to be leased to the Bears for at least 35 years. The bill is now pending before the House.

Indiana lawmakers are set to adjourn at the end of this month, while Illinois legislators are in session until May 31.

The megaproject bill — which has gathered dust on the shelves at the Illinois Capitol since the first iterations were introduced more than three years ago — will assuredly see revisions and amendments before final votes are taken in the House and Senate.

Canty said Thursday seems “soon” for a vote at the committee level, considering the still-ongoing negotiations taking place behind the scenes. But public discussion by legislators and testimony from witnesses is likely, and more committee hearings can be scheduled, she added.

Canty said she would be surprised if the Bears stadium isn’t a topic during the governor’s address Wednesday.

Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica — who gave the Bears redevelopment and the legislation that could make it happen a full-throated endorsement at a public pep rally of Northwest suburban officials last Wednesday — plans to be in Springfield this week. She and other mayors in the Northwest Municipal Conference will lobby legislators about the Bears project, pension reform and other topics, she said.

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia said he won’t be there in person, but is monitoring the activity in Springfield from afar.

“The Bears want to come to Arlington Heights,” Tinaglia said at the rally at the DoubleTree by Hilton Arlington Heights last week. “They didn’t buy 326 acres because they thought it was a great idea just to hang out.”

“They want to come here, and I believe they will, so long as we can have tax certainty for a reasonable tax bill … and infrastructure support.”