Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. confident Chicago Bears will move to Indiana

The Chicago Bears announced last week they are making Hammond, Indiana, their priority for a new stadium, and while it's not a done deal yet, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said he's confident the Bears will soon be moving there.

"It's vague for a lot of complex reasons, but the Bears are working on Hammond right now. I'm happy to see what the Bears are putting into our city right now. We're going to be the home stadium," McDermott said at Monday night's city council meeting.

The Bears are still playing in Soldier Field for now. Last week, their board of directors voted to move forward with plans to build a new stadium in Hammond, but acknowledged they have yet to pick a specific site.

The decision came just days after Illinois state lawmakers wrapped up their spring session without approving legislation aimed at keeping the Bears in Illinois.

In April, the Illinois House voted to pass a so-called "megaprojects bill" that would have allowed the Bears or other developers investing at least $100 million in a project to negotiate property tax breaks with local governments. The Illinois Senate never voted on that legislation, instead passing a bill on Monday that would have allowed local municipalities in Cook County with a population of more than 70,000 to set up their own stadium authorities. Arlington Heights and Chicago both meet that threshold.

Under that plan, the Bears would have put up the cash to build the stadium but the local government would officially own it and the Bears would lease it from them — thus avoiding property taxes altogether. However, the Illinois House adjourned for the summer without taking up that proposal.

Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), who has led negotiations on legislation aimed at keeping the Bears in Illinois, said the Bears have left the door open to staying in Illinois. He said team president Kevin Warren called him on the day the Bears announced they were focusing on Hammond to say the Bears are still open to discussions on a new stadium in Illinois.

Buckner also noted that the Bears have yet to pick a specific site in Hammond for a new stadium.

"That's not a criticism. It's simply an acknowledgment that the Bears' own language leaves additional flexibility and does not represent a final decision. The carefully crafted statement also uses words that describe a process that is continuing, rather than reaching a conclusion," Buckner said last week.

On Tuesday, Illinois state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) announced he was crafting a new version of the megaprojects bill to keep the Bears in Illinois.

His proposal would raise the threshold for a so-called "megaproject" from $100 million to $500 million. Like the original megaprojects bill, developers could negotiate with local governments for "payments in lieu of taxes" that would lower their property tax bills but still provide revenue to local governments.

Ugaste's plan would also provide statewide property tax relief for homeowners by requiring any tax referendum questions up for a vote to appear on general election ballots. Currently, tax referendum questions are allowed to appear on primary election ballots, when fewer voters typically cast ballots.

"We need to get this done," Ugaste said. "Illinois can keep a historic sports franchise that means so much to the people of the state, remain competitive for major economic development projects, and also provide relief for homeowners and businesses who are carrying one of the highest property tax burdens in the nation. We do not have to choose between economic growth and taxpayer relief. We can, and should, have both."

Ugaste said he plans to introduce his proposal in the Illinois General Assembly later this week.

Indiana lawmakers have approved legislation to pave the way for a Bears move to Hammond. The proposal would commit up to $1 billion in public funding towards a stadium, and create a Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority with the power to issue bonds, acquire land, and finance construction.

While Indiana has agreed to help finance a Bears stadium, the team plans to commit $2 billion towards the construction of the facility. Indiana officials have yet to lay out how they plan to help fund the project, or what taxes would be needed to pay for it.