Indiana lawmakers have taken another step toward trying to convince the Chicago Bears to construct a new stadium in the state.
For the first time this week, Indiana lawmakers have revealed the potential framework for a deal aimed at luring the Chicago Bears to their state. Mary Ann Ahern has more. Indiana lawmakers have taken another step toward trying to convince the Chicago Bears to construct a new stadium in the state.
Indiana’s Senate passed SB 27 on Wednesday, officially establishing the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority and tasking it with acquiring land and financing the construction of a sports stadium, potentially for the Bears as they seek a new home.Indiana is open for business and the Chicago Bears have taken notice. The Senate's passage of SB 27 to establish a Northwest Indiana stadium authority is the next critical step in the right direction to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state and to grow Indiana's economy.“Indiana is open for business and the Chicago Bears have taken notice,” he said. “The Senate's passage of SB 27 to establish a Northwest Indiana stadium authority is the next critical step in the right direction to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state and to grow Indiana's economy.” According to terms of the bill, the stadium authority will be authorized to negotiate terms of a lease with a professional sports team, and to issue bonds for the purposes of constructing a new stadium for that team. The bill would authorize the state to sign a 35-year lease with the Bears, with 40-year bonds issued to buy land and to finance the construction of a new stadium.That new bill will continue to ratchet up pressure on Illinois lawmakers, who are mulling whether to pass legislation to encourage the Bears to build a new stadium in suburban Arlington Heights. State officials are stepping up their evaluation of the proposals surrounding the stadium. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s team has been employing attorney Steve Argeris, a renowned stadium construction expert, for the past 18 months, according to reporting by NBC Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, Argeris is paid more than $1,400 per hour and has already been paid more than $100,000 in legal fees as he meets with Bears representatives and evaluates different proposals around the stadium project. Jim Tinaglia, mayor of Arlington Heights, has been a proponent of a deal to assist the Bears in constructing new infrastructure around the stadium site, as well as allowing the team to freeze property tax rates to help with cost certainty around the project. In an interview on 670 the Score last week, Tinaglia says he still believes the Bears’ preference would be to keep the team in the state of Illinois, and to build their stadium on the suburban site they purchased for that purpose. “I know, I know in my heart of hearts that George is very enthusiastic and excited about the idea of coming to Arlington Heights,” he said. Tinaglia says that Indiana’s pressure on state lawmakers cannot be ignored, and he’s urging Pritzker to protect his legacy as governor. "I don't think I'd want to be the Governor of Illinois when and if the Bears were to decide to leave the state altogether,” he said.
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