Arlington Heights schools hiring lobbyist after bill proposed to give Chicago Bears a tax break

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Bears have plans for a massive development in Arlington Heights. But some of the people living there are worried about how it will all be paid for and what will happen to their taxes.

The Chicago Bears agreed to pay nearly $200 million for the Arlington Park race track property, 326 acres of prime northwest suburban real estate.

And if the team builds a new stadium, along with hotels, retail and residential properties, it will likely be worth many billions of dollars. But area school district officials are concerned they might not see some of the tax revenue the project would create.

"The project is exciting, but not at the cost of education," said Dr. Kenneth Arndt, District 214 interim superintendent. "That's why we want a seat at the table."

District 214, along with elementary school District 15, are two of three school districts in the area which have voted to hire a lobbyist to represent them in Springfield as state lawmakers consider tax proposals.

One bill filed by Sen. Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) could potentially give the Bears a huge tax break by freezing the assessed value for four decades. But she says it's intended to start the conversation.

"I'm all for economic development, but we need to do it in a way that does not disproportionately impact schools, homeowners and small businesses," Gillespie said.

Gillespie said she expects the bill would be a starting point for conversations about tax incentives to attract large corporations statewide. She has also filed a bill to reform tax increment financing, or TIFs.

School district officials say they support the Bears moving to the suburbs, but they want their seat at the table during those conversations.

"We are not opposed to the Bears coming to the suburbs. In fact, we're all pretty excited about that," Arndt said. "We just would like to be at the table so the public schools have a voice."

ABC7 has reached out to the Bears for comment, but they have not responded.

In the meantime, officials with the Village of Arlington Heights say they are closely monitoring the proposed legislation and they are not opposed to the school districts being involved in the negotiations.