>> The bear season officially ended last Sunday in that overtime thriller against the Rams.

But the saga of the team's future home is still playing out, Bears, leadership and Illinois lawmakers have butted heads over proposed stadium project in Arlington Heights.

As a result, the team says it's considering a number of sites in northwest Indiana, a prospect many Indiana lawmakers and officials seem to be relishing.

Here's Indiana Governor Mike Braun.

>> And with our strong business environment, it's not surprising that another organization.

Has noticed that Indiana is open for business.

The Chicago Bears.

>> We are working hard to bring the Chicago Bears to the Hoosier state.

So they can really see what a great place is to have a business.

We'll work hard to do it.

Let's get it across the finish line.

>> Joining us, our Illinois State representative MaryBeth Canty who represents part of the northwest suburbs, including Arlington Heights and Marc Ganis president and co-founder of Sports business consulting firm Sports Court.

We also invited a representative of the Chicago Bears as well as sponsors of that Indiana legislation to join us.

But they declined or did not respond.

Thanks to both of you for joining us.

Marc So the Indiana Senate Appropriations Committee, they unanimously passed a bill today that would help finance the construction of a new NFL stadium in Indiana.

The bear seemed receptive to that legislation issuing a statement, quote, We appreciate the leadership and responsiveness of Governor Braun, an Indiana lawmakers in advancing a framework that allows these conversations to move forward.

Productively.

Marc Ganis does move into Indiana, make more financial sense for the Bears.

>> Well, as it stands right now, there is no deal in Arlington Heights or the city of Chicago for that matter.

So I'm the Bears may not have an alternative.

If the state of Illinois, Springfield does not act and provide certainty that the Bears need to have a ability to build the stadium in Arlington Heights.

So as it stands right now, it may not have a choice.

Now, if you're asking me if they have a choice, where will they go?

They're there.

We have to see what it is that Indiana puts forward and what it is that Illinois puts forward.

Clearly the Bears have said they would prefer to be in Arlington Heights.

They've been working on this very hard for very long time.

It's really the legislators and political side in Springfield that hasn't really moved very quickly.

And that is what is open the door for Indiana to step up and create a competitive environment.

>> So last week, Gary, Indiana, they released some renderings of 3 potential stadium sites, one near Hard Rock casino in northern Indiana and 2 near the water at Buffington Harbor and Miller Beach.

What are some of the pros and cons of the Bears moved to any of those proposed sites in Gary?

>> all the sites there and in Hammond that have been talked about, we're all quite close to downtown Chicago.

They're near the Skyway.

They they all have a rail access that are close to to them with the with R Train stations in downtown Chicago.

They're about 25 miles from downtown Chicago.

It's in a different direction.

There were many of the Bears fans are which are more towards the north and northwest suburbs.

But it is relatively close.

That's very attractive.

But again, I want to come back to a critical point.

There is no deal yet in Arlington Heights for the Bears to say that's an option.

That's what is missing right now.

And that's I think everyone in Arlington Heights.

I everyone in Cook County in Chicago, hoping that's free field actually steps and puts on the table.

>> Okay.

Let's talk about that because we have the state representative who represents Arlington Heights right here the Bears had previously expressed interest in the stadium in Arlington Heights.

But they there's been a lack of legislative partnership and that's the reason for remaining open to to a place like Indiana you've been working, of course, to keep the Bears in Illinois.

Can Illinois match anything that Illinois law that Indiana lawmakers to put on the table so far?

So I think to to Mark's point, suffer, stop.

>> Thank you for having me and and letting Mark in a talk about this topic.

You know, there isn't anything really meaningful on the table yet in Indiana?

I think what we've seen here in Illinois is a desire to make sure that our local communities have the tools that they need in order to attract businesses this economic development.

But we always want to make sure we're doing right by the people who live here by the taxpayers until we want to get this policy, correct.

We want it to be transparent.

We want that will itself to be transparent.

Make sure that the locals have that ability to bring businesses into their communities or to keep them within their community.

You introduced legislation back in February of 25 that would give the Bears more flexibility on property taxes on a new stadium.

>> Tells with that Bill would do.

Thank you for asking me that it's really not just Bears bill.

And I want to be really clear about that.

Going back to getting the policy right and putting the control back in the hands of the locals.

What we're doing is creating an opportunity local governing bodies, right?

Your municipalities, your school, district's, et cetera, to decide together if they believe that they've got a piece of property that is right to be a mega development site that would enable them to then start to enter into a negotiation with the developer.

If certain criteria are met, where they could create an incentive agreement that could look like a flat fee on your property taxes or something else.

But it would provide certainty not just for the developer, but also for the local communities that gives your taxing bodies real concrete dollars that they can budget against making it easier on your local taxpayers.

And what would you say?

The status is of that legislation would come back up in the session?

I think that it well, a lot of lawmakers throughout the state see the value in a program like this and ability like this, not just in Arlington Heights, not just in Chicago, but really all over the state.

This can be meaningful.

Whether the Bears are able to make their case once we pass it, if they're able to make their case to Arlington Heights in the surrounding communities, that would be wonderful.

But Rockford also make a case for battery storage Kaye Ro could make a case for some other type development and their communities as well.

We want to make sure we're creating those jobs and that economic opportunity.

We're getting brought up property taxes.

And that has been, you know, a sticking point for in the Bears negotiation process.

The team is committed to invest 2 billion dollars in the site and has asked the state to contribute an additional 895 million dollars for surrounding infrastructure.

>> The team saying they want something to the effect of property tax certainty.

What kind of taxes would they be looking to pay compared to what would be expected to pay typically on a property like the one that it could be under development.

>> Well, first thing you should know virtually no teams in the NFL pay any next property taxes for their stadium.

That's one thing that that you need to people need to understand.

Sports teams typically do not pay property taxes that's for across most stadiums are owned by and governmental party because most stadiums are paid for in whole or in part by government, by the government itself.

So the Bears are saying will pay for the whole thing.

And you want us to pay property taxes as well.

Ok, we'll pay that.

But we need to know what they are or we can finance the project.

So it's a very reasonable ask on the part of the Bears.

Now, you look at what the property was generating when it was Arlington Park racetrack, I'm not sure what that number was.

Was it about 3?

I I think she will do better than I but about 3 or 4 million dollars a year was what was generating in property taxes for the area.

You it.

That's always a negotiation.

But the idea is needs to have some some certainty associated with so that the totality of the project can be financed.

We have more thing here.

And that is there's been some discussion by, for example, the editorial page of the Tribune that somebody owns a bungalow on the northwest side of Chicago.

This not have property tax certainty.

Well, flying and that's true.

But there are thousands of other bungalows that have comparable analysis and what stadiums, because we're out of time.

How you do know how much was that of the property?

I do.

So when hit second for it was generating 3 million dollars a year in property taxes and 850 male or excuse me, $850,000 a year in food and beverage tax.

>> Right now it is generating 3.6 million dollars a year just in property taxes as vacant land SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles piece about 8.8 million dollars a year in a separate accident.

That's where we'll have to leave it because whether not what's happening in Indiana will prove prove to be leverage for the Bears team in the