Overview
- Johnson, who heads to Springfield Wednesday and Thursday, plans to lobby lawmakers with suburban mayors to protect the Local Government Distributive Fund and to push back on a Bears tax incentive tied to an Arlington Heights stadium.
- Mayors warn that lowering the LGDF share of state income taxes would pull about $60 million from municipalities and roughly $12–12.7 million from Chicago, though the governor says his plan keeps LGDF dollars flat and cites higher local aid since 2019.
- A House-passed “megaprojects” bill that enables long-term payments in lieu of property taxes for large developments, including a Bears stadium, is before the Senate with the spring session ending May 31 and no floor action slated this week.
- An analysis from the governor’s office says steering part of those payments to property tax relief would barely move the needle for homeowners, estimating about $1.29 of savings per homeowner on a hypothetical $20 million payment.
- The Bears continue to weigh Arlington Heights against Hammond, Indiana, after Indiana lawmakers approved a Hammond funding package, and team leaders say they expect to choose a site by late spring or early summer.