Eye On Illinois: Bluff or not, Bears’ new stadium plan should still have taxpayers on edge

Taxpayers might’ve breathed a tiny sigh of relief Monday morning, but further vigilance is warranted.

Almost 13 months after the Lake Forest-based Chicago Bears closed on the $197.2 million purchase of the former horse racing complex in Arlington Heights, reports surfaced that the team now wants to pay $2 billion to replace Soldier Field just south of its current location rather than build from the ground up in the suburbs.

If not a bluff, this shift potentially eases burdens on local and state governments facing pressure to leverage public resources to make the team’s dreams reality. School districts especially have haggled with the franchise over the value of the old racetrack, as those property tax implications greatly affect operating budgets.

However, government isn’t exactly off the hook. The first red flag is seeing the team doesn’t want to own the new facility, ostensibly continuing an often contentious working arrangement with the Chicago Park District. A second comes from the statement Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren released to ESPN:

“The future stadium of the Chicago Bears will bring a transformative opportunity to our region – boosting the economy, creating jobs, facilitating mega events and generating millions in tax revenue. We look forward to sharing more information when our plans are finalized.”

Warren is right. Bears games are big business: parking fees, concessions sales, hundreds of stadium workers, in-stadium promotions and more, all outside the millionaires crashing into each other on the field and the billion-dollar broadcasting contracts.

But the ability to generate millions in tax revenue doesn’t guarantee a private business the pathway to leveraging public assets. Initial estimates pegged the cost of the Arlington Heights project closer to $5 billion, so without further details it’s safe to assume the new Chicago plan carries a similar price tag.

Exhaling comes from suburban and downstate taxpayers who might view this new strategy as much more of a Chicago problem. That’s true to a point – and an important point, given the history of failed development efforts on the same parcel – but both Solider Field and the current White Sox stadium a few miles to the southwest have soaked up considerable state resources over the years, and owners of both franchises keep searching for another open slot at the same public trough.

The Bears touted polling showing 60% of Chicagoans support public money for a publicly owned facility. Screenshots of that text poll shared on social media show at least one question gauged support for “upgraded transit offerings within and around the development.” Keeping that favorability rating might require ironclad assurances the government has no involvement beyond transportation infrastructure.

Lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker have been cool to overtures thus far, here’s hoping they hold that line.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.