Two months in the past, I wrote a story that detailed how the Chicago Bears have been outraged at being requested to pay the identical property taxes as everybody else. To very briefly summarize, the Bears purchased property in Arlington Heights for $197 million in 2022. This 12 months, the county assessor put a price on that land reflecting the quantity paid by the Bears. This angered the group as a result of it now makes them pay extra in property taxes.
The Bears are asking to worth the land under $40 million, with completely zero justification as to why it needs to be that low. The final quantity I heard was the Bears prepared to place the land at a property tax value of $52.5 million…weeks after they purchased it for nearly $200 million. The Bears do have factors which are rational in wanting it to be lowered (as I identified within the story written two months ago) however the assessor is, on the entire, right along with his worth improve.
Nonetheless, the Bears proceed to go about this new stadium search in a approach that few can perceive. Each week, a brand new metropolis in or round Chicago, tells the Bears how a lot they need any new stadium to be constructed of their area. This latest week, one other metropolis supplied their local toxic dump yard to be the constructing web site for the Bears new stadium. How good!
But most can clearly see that if you pay $200 million for a chunk of property, you’ll use it. The Bears need to construct in Arlington Heights. So, are the Bears going to simply accept the brand new property tax quantity? Are they negotiating with the county to attempt to push a deal by means of? In fact not. As an alternative, they proceed to whine and complain concerning the assessor whereas praising any new metropolis involved in assembly with the group. Simply yesterday, the newest replace includes the Bears President claiming that the group and nation proceed to be at a “stalemate” and “don’t know if it will be revived”. Why?
In accordance with the group: “an ongoing tax dispute has stopped stadium development”. But whereas additionally complaining concerning the dispute, the group additionally admits that they aren’t speaking to the county. Subsequently, no progress and no capacity to make any progress? Gotcha. The group seems like it’s struggling to cope with the growing issues that Arlington Heights residents and, effectively, anyone in Illinois, proceed to convey forth. The Bears are attempting to behave as if they’re holding public listening meetings, however the questions and persons are organized by the group. Which means, there isn’t any probability of any precise or severe questions/matters being introduced up.
But even with the questions and other people pre-selected, the group’s GM, Kevin Warren, nonetheless bought “confrontational” and threatened individuals who requested questions.
“Over the previous few months … he’s doing or saying something he needs, and this concept of getting a bit confrontational, as this assembly did, perhaps even some veiled threats … Warren’s very aggressive, very aggressive … Everybody at Halas Corridor believes that this concern with the Arlington Heights faculties districts will probably be resolved, however this most up-to-date assembly didn’t accomplish something to get them nearer to doing that. This was a missed alternative the place Warren’s aggressiveness will not be notably well-received” – Dan Bernstein, 670 The Score, 06/28/23
As Front Office Sports notes, the unique value of the Stadium and Leisure District for the Bears new stadium was projected round $5 billion. Billionaires don’t develop into billionaires with out holding each final cent that they will, and I can solely guess that’s the perspective that the Bears are taking.
