North Cook News

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker isn't keen on the idea that the Chicago Bears could be packing up and building a brand new stadium outside of the Chicago city limits, should the team's proposal get off the ground.

FOX 32 recently reported that the team has unveiled possible plans to relocate to the old Arlington International Race Course. But Pritzker expressed his reservations about the idea of reducing taxes or using taxpayer dollars to help with the project.

"I'm rooting for the Bears," he said in the FOX 32 report. "I'm also a Chicagoan, I'd love it if they stayed in Chicago, but it is their choice as a private business about where they're gonna go."

Pritzker admitted that the team's decision to consider a location other than Chicago's multi-use Soldier Field could be strongly motivated by financial reasons. Nevertheless, he is still hoping the team will ultimately decide to stay in the Windy City.

The mayor of Arlington Heights told FOX 32 that from a financial planning perspective the team wants what he described as "tax certainty."

State Rep. Martin Moylan (D-Des Plaines) has made clear his plans to work out a proposition that would help compensate the city for the losses it will endure should the team actually decide to leave, the report said. Moylan noted that he has been in talks with stakeholders about the possibility of adding a $3 tax on each ticket sold at the new stadium. The tax would apply to more than just tickets to Bears games; it would also include any concerts or other events that would be hosted at the new facility.

Moylan believes lawmakers and the team need to keep the city in mind.

"I think we should make Chicago whole if they're going to leave, and it's not gonna cost the Bears anything and it's not going to cost the state anything," he said in the report