Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker met privately with Bears CEO/President Kevin Warren on Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The governor's office confirmed the meeting to the Tribune, telling the newspaper the meeting was "cordial" and was intended for them "to get to know each other." But Pritzker's spokesman Alex Gough told the Tribune "The governor’s position has not changed."
Pritzker initially cast doubt on the Bears' plan to construct a $5 billion stadium. Any financial assistance from the state must “be a good deal for taxpayers," Pritzker previously said.
When Warren and Bears Executive Vice President Karen Murphy met with Pritzker's staff in May, the governor’s office issued a statement characterizing the team’s plan as "a nonstarter." That attitude leaked into June when the state crafted a $53 billion budget not including the Bears' stadium plans.
The plan included hundreds of millions promised to elementary and secondary education, public schools across the state, migrant relief, medical debt, and tax write-offs for special circumstances. But nothing for the Bears.
It's important to note the Bears did not ask for a bill or legislation to be passed during this session. However, during the Bears stadium proposal presentation in late April, Warren was hopeful of getting something done as quickly as possible.
At the Lincoln Forum with Fox 32 Chicago, Bears CEO/President Kevin Warren responded to the Bears being left out of the budget.
Chicago Bears
"I don't think I've ever been disappointed in anything. I understand these are big projects," Warren said when asked if he was disappointed the Bears weren't included. "They take time, energy and effort to come together. They're expensive. You have to have foresight, you have to have vision, you have to have wisdom.
"I understand this is part of the process. I strongly believe we need a new stadium. For Chicago to have never hosted a Super Bowl, a Final Four, a College Football Playoff, these mega-events. We're losing out."
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Was Warren surprised by the legislative pushback to his plans to build a new stadium with public money included?
"I would say no," Warren said. "Interestingly enough, every jurisdiction has its own way of doing business. This is exactly what I expected to do. … This is an election year. We have people who don't have meals to eat. We have people sleeping on the street. We have a lot of complex issues that we are dealing with.
"I'm a realist to understand that these projects are not something you do over a weekend."
Murphy said in the April presentation that the team expects the entire stadium project to cost $4.7 billion: $3.2 for the stadium itself and just over $300 million for the infrastructure required to open it, then $1.2 billion for two other phases of development.
In March, the team confirmed it would contribute $2 billion to fund the majority of the project. A slide in the presentation clarified that the number would be closer to $2.025 billion. After that, the team would look to an NFL stadium program for a $300 million loan.
That leaves a $900 million gap for the stadium financing itself. The Bears plan has them looking to a bond mechanism in the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority program to make up the difference.
The Bears said a 2% hotel tax that is already in place for the ISFA should be able to make up the $900 million they need from public funds.
There wasn’t a clear answer as to where the team would get the $300 million for the infrastructure, however. Murphy said the team is still working with the state and looking into different funding sources.
If the team gets the public funding needed to open the stadium, they said there will be two more phases of development requiring public money: one to maximize infrastructure for the stadium and surrounding campus totaling $510 million, and another phase for “optional infrastructure to enhance the campus, improve circulation, and maximize public economic benefits,” totaling $665 million.
Add up all three phases plus the IFSA funding, and it's nearly $2.4 billion in public money.
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson said then that the Bears’ new plan to build a stadium in Chicago will not raise taxes on city residents.
"I’m going to repeat that one more time to make sure that everybody gets it," Johnson said after the announcement. "This project will result in no new taxes on the residents of Chicago."
