Deputy Governor Andy Manar says negotiations in the Statehouse on a funding mechanism for a new Chicago Bears stadium were unnecessarily complicated by Chicago city officials also meeting with the team.
Manar told WMAY’s Patrick Pfingsten on PM Springfield that there is no viable site in the city for a new stadium.
Manar said the Bears should make their thoughts on what’s on the table clear.
The Bears announced they are shifting their focus away from building a stadium in Arlington Heights to Hammond, Indiana, after Illinois lawmakers failed to pass legislation giving the team property tax certainty.
Meanwhile, Indiana legislators earlier this year approved a framework authorizing more than $1 billion in public subsidies for construction of a new stadium across the state line.
The team has left the door open to further negotiations in Illinois.
