(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Arlington Heights Village Board has approved the hiring of a lobbying firm as the Bears organization considers its options for a new home.
"It's come to a critical point in the process, where we do need some assistance down in Springfield, [which] is something we just don't have," said Mayor Tom Hayes during a recent Village Board meeting. "We just want to make sure that our interests are protected."
Village Manager Randy Recklaus said the internal staff working on this have good relationships with legislators in the northwest suburbs. It isn't quite the same case down in Springfield, though.
"We're trying to make as many friends as we possibly can and make sure that as many people as possible understand what our goals are and what our interests are," Recklaus said. "We fully anticipate, as has already been the case, that there's not going to be one piece of legislation — there's going to be a lot of different pieces of legislation."
Among the things under consideration in Springfield is a property tax break for the Bears.
The Village Board voted unanimously to hire Mac Strategies Group for $10,000 per month.
The Bears, as well as the various school districts that would be impacted by a tax break, have also hired lobbyists.
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