Any deal linked to a stadium should benefit everyone.
The debate over a new stadium for the Chicago Bears has always been about more than football. It has exposed Illinois’ broken property tax system.
The Bears have made clear that they want property tax certainty. That’s not unreasonable. But here’s the problem: So does everyone else. Homeowners. Small businesses. Retirees.
Every property taxpayer in Illinois is looking for the same certainty, and for years, they haven’t gotten it. That’s why comments from state Senate President Don Harmon matter.
Harmon’s recognition that “people living in bungalows” also want property tax certainty is a significant step forward. If Illinois lawmakers address property taxes in the context of a stadium deal, they should do it in a way that benefits all taxpayers, not just the largest and most politically connected.
The Senate plans significant changes to the current legislation. That’s encouraging, but the priorities must be clear.
The most important fix is straightforward: protect current taxpayers. Taxes that would otherwise be generated from large projects cannot simply be shifted onto others. If that happens, homeowners and small businesses will subsidize tax relief for billion-dollar developments.
That’s not reform. That’s shifting the burden.
There is a better path.
State Rep. Dan Ugaste and his Property Tax Relief Conference put forward two commonsense reforms that deserve serious consideration in the Senate.
First, end “back-door referendums.” When bonds are paid off, taxpayers should see relief, not a quiet extension of the same tax burden without voter approval.
Second, move all property tax referendum questions to the November ballot, when voter turnout is higher and more representative. Tax decisions should not be tucked into low-turnout elections where only a fraction of the community is paying attention.
These ideas don’t disrupt stadium negotiations. They don’t make a project unworkable. They introduce fairness and accountability into a system that has lacked both.
Even Gov. J.B. Pritzker has acknowledged that changes are needed. That’s an important signal. But recognition isn’t enough — the details matter, and the focus must remain on delivering meaningful relief to taxpayers across the state.
This moment presents a rare opportunity.
Illinois can pursue a major economic development project while also taking concrete steps toward property tax reform, but only if lawmakers avoid crafting a deal that benefits a select few while leaving everyone else behind.
Harmon is right to broaden the conversation. Now the Senate has a chance — and a responsibility — to follow through.
A stadium deal should work for the Bears. But it should also deliver fairness for taxpayers across Illinois. The Senate has the opportunity to get that balance right, and taxpayers will be watching closely.
