The Bears have been at odds with local school districts in the Arlington Heights area regarding tax assessments.
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00:00I think we go back to what we talked about last time we addressed this, the need to start this
00:07sooner rather than later, maybe even this calendar year. That's unlikely to happen if it is Chicago.
00:13So if Kevin Warren was so hell-bent on staying in the city, that would be likely something that
00:18would be next year. And the longer you wait, the more you pay. Time is money. So yesterday's
00:25development, and it's just a small one, but it's significant. It's almost significant in the
00:29context of the Bears next stadium. Carm reported that there was some progress being made back in
00:36Arlington Heights where the Bears own the land and they've cleared it. They're ready to shovel,
00:41to dig the shovels in the ground if it was tomorrow. So talking to some people involved
00:46in the process yesterday, I got the same information. I got the same confirmation
00:54that yes, there have been productive discussions with both parties as they continue to go toward
01:02a possible deal in Arlington Heights. The news of it isn't necessarily that they're close to a deal.
01:09I think the news of it is, Molly, correct me if I see what you think, but they're still talking
01:13to them. So they haven't shut that door to Arlington Heights. I think it's really interesting
01:20because I think there are two questions here. The first question is, if their sole focus was
01:28on downtown and that's what they're going to do and that's what they're pursuing,
01:32then what do they do in talking to them? And really, let's be honest about that. Their concern
01:38with Arlington Heights was the amount of tax revenue they will pay, not this year, not the
01:47next year, not 10 years from now, but 20, 30 years. They're looking for long-term certainty.
01:53Tax certainty.
01:53The appeal of a privately owned public building or whatever way they're terming it
02:00is that there'd be no taxes involved. So the taxes are the reason that they're even
02:06trying to get this done.