Gov. JB Pritzker’s office responded Tuesday to a Cook County Treasurer report that raised questions about the megaproject legislation he backs to keep the Bears in Illinois.
A Pritzker spokesperson defended the special property tax financing mechanism — the so-called Payments in Lieu of Taxes — the NFL franchise wants for a new stadium development in Arlington Heights.
The statement was in response to a 13-page study — released earlier Tuesday by Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office — that expresses skepticism with the purported economic benefits of the team’s envisioned $5 billion redevelopment of the former Arlington Park racetrack.
“From the beginning, Gov. Pritzker’s north star has been protecting taxpayers,” the governor’s spokesperson said. “PILOT is a tool used by dozens of states to give local governments leverage, create long-term certainty, and ensure communities have a seat at the table. Large-scale projects can create jobs and broader economic opportunity, but they also give communities the ability to shape agreements around local priorities — whether that is infrastructure improvements, workforce commitments, public safety investments, or other community benefits.
“Gov. Pritzker will continue making sure taxpayers remain at the forefront of these discussions and that Illinoisans get the strongest deal possible.”
Pappas’ report questions whether the Bears’ negotiated payments to local governments, in lieu of a regular tax bill, would be enough to provide the services made necessary by the redevelopment of the 326-acre property. The analysis also questions if the Bears stadium — as well as other big projects above $100 million that could benefit from the legislation statewide — would increase overall economic activity, or simply move it from one area to another.
The report concludes that the benefits for the Bears and other megaproject developers are clear, but benefits for taxpayers are “murky.”
The study was released just as legislators returned to Springfield for a final, consequential week of deliberations over the megaproject bill, a state budget, and other pressing issues.
Legislators on the Senate side have been haggling over changes to the House-passed version of the bill for weeks. It’s unclear if and when an amendment to the bill will be filed and debated in a Senate committee, before going to full Senate floor and returning to the House for a concurrence vote.
The General Assembly adjourns its spring session at the end of the day Sunday.
Bears brass have said they will decide late this spring or early summer whether to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights or Hammond, Indiana.
https://www.dailyherald.com/20260526/news/pritzker-defends-potential-bears-tax-deal-amid-treasurer-report-scrutiny/