Last week, things didn’t go as smoothly as Illinois might have hoped to keep the Chicago Bears in the state when the legislature returned to Springfield.
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On Thursday, the Illinois House Tax Credit and Incentives Subcommittee chose not to resume talks for a proposal that would designate “mega project properties” eligible for an assessment freeze.
What happens in March is big for the Bears and Illinois as Indiana has swooned in to lure the team to the Northwest portion of the state with friendly legislation.
On March 12, Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia called last week a “big, big, big” moment for Illinois’ chances of keeping the Bears. Essentially, the team gave Illinois a soft deadline to pass tax-friendly legislation for the Bears and plan infrastructure projects around the Arlington Heights location.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker appears to be feeling the heat of the March 31 soft deadline.
JB Pritzker is feeling the Chicago Bears soft deadline
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Per WAND News, Pritzker wants to pass legislation that would keep the Bears in Illinois “sooner rather than later.”
A proposal that would allow a property tax freeze for up to 40 years for companies working on megaprojects has yet to be voted on the House floor. The proposal would also allow those companies to negotiate a smaller annual payment.
Pritzker urged the House of Representatives to pass what he considers to be a “pretty good deal” for the Bears and taxpayers.
“It is a pretty good deal that’s been put on the table that I think seems to have support broadly by the Bears ownership,” Pritzker said. “So, it really now is in the hands of the House of Representatives and then the Senate to get something done in a timely fashion.”
It remains to be seen if state legislators feel the same way.
ChiCitySports has heard from plenty of taxpayers in Illinois who don’t feel the Bears or companies connected to megaproject work should receive subsidies in the form of tax breaks when they’re struggling financially in the current economy.
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