Indiana Sets Feb 27 Deadline for Bears Stadium Deal

Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston made the ultimatum clear Thursday, telling reporters that any financial agreement for a football stadium project must be finalized before the General Assembly adjourns.

“I think I made it pretty clear,” Huston said. “If this is going to happen, we need to get done before we leave. That is the deadline.”

The pressure comes as the House Ways and Means Committee faces a Feb. 19 deadline to advance Senate Bill 27, which would create the Northwest Indiana Stadium Authority and enable state involvement in the project.

While Indiana officials push for a quick resolution, the Bears remain silent on their intentions. Neither the team nor Gov. Mike Braun’s office responded to requests for comment Friday.

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said this week his administration was making progress in negotiations for a new Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, the northwest suburb where the team owns 326 acres of former racetrack property.

Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia expressed confidence Wednesday that Illinois officials are “wide awake right now” in responding to Indiana’s courtship of the Bears.

“They didn’t buy 326 acres because they thought it was a great idea to just hang on to an investment,” Tinaglia said. “They have wanted to come here for 40 years.”

Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said Thursday that negotiations were “dictated by the timing of this legislative session” but insisted the state wasn’t trying to match Illinois dollar-for-dollar.

“We just think we have an offer and a template that we’ve used down here in Indianapolis that’s really competitive and an attractive offer, that works both for the taxpayers of Indiana and, maybe, for the Chicago Bears,” Bray said.

That Indianapolis template involved public financing covering most of the $720 million cost of Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened in 2008 for the Colts. The team contributed about $100 million, while public money came from food and beverage taxes in Indianapolis and surrounding counties.

The pending Indiana legislation would give the new stadium authority power to acquire land, issue bonds and finance stadium construction. However, the bill doesn’t specify how much taxpayer money would go toward the project, which local taxes might be used, or what the Bears would contribute.

Bears officials haven’t identified specific Indiana sites, though leaders from Hammond, Gary and Portage have all pitched locations in their cities.

Huston said he remained “optimistic” about landing the Bears and dismissed concerns that team ownership was simply using Indiana as leverage for a better Illinois deal.

“We pursue a lot of different businesses on a daily basis,” Huston said. “These are long discussions and those types of things, but totally worth the effort.”