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Kane County joins Sears deal opposition

Kane County officials added their political weight Monday morning to local opposition mounting against the latest version of a state plan to keep Sears Holding Corp. from leaving the state.

The county board's legislative committee expressed dismay at new changes that they said leaves Carpentersville Unit District 300 on the short end of a deal.

District 300 Superintendent Michael Bregy announced withdrawal of support for a Sears plan late Sunday after state lawmakers changed the incentive plan to extend the existing tax breaks the company received to locate its headquarters in Hoffman Estates.

Kane County lawmakers said that deal is great for Hoffman Estates, but it leaves District 300 without substantial money in property taxes it planned to receive from Sears when the current tax breaks expired.

“There are loopholes in the changes that would allow the Village of Hoffman Estates to take some of the money intended for D300,” said County Board Member Tim Haley. “I'm certainly all in favor of keeping Sears in Illinois, but I think it's unfair for D300 to bear those costs.”

County board members Maggie Auger and Cristina Castro agreed with Haley in a unanimous vote by the committee to oppose the new deal for Sears.

Castro said she is particularly bothered that state lawmakers are bundling other controversial proposals that have nothing to do with keeping Sears in Illinois as part of the bill that was set to have a preliminary hearing Monday afternoon.

Those other measures include tax credits for the working poor, tax help for the CME Group (another company threatening to leave Illinois), and a tax break for live theater productions.

“I think that bundling is not the best thing to do,” Castro said. “I hope all sides are considered in a fair deal, not just for D300, but for Sears as well. It seemed like they were making progress. Now all of a sudden it seems as though that progress has been stymied.”

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