GARY'S BEARS DEAL NOT WITHOUT TAX FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS

     The "long-awaited" Indiana stadium offer to the Bears is
scheduled to be unveiled Wednesday and will call for the Lake
County Council to impose a countywide income tax of .5% to help
finance the stadium, according to today's CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Approval of the tax will be required from the County Council,
with the Board of Commissioners holding veto power.  If the Board
rejects the $30M-per-year tax, a five-vote Council majority can
override.  Since the tax has already been authorized by the IN
General Assembly, it would not require further legislative action
or voter approval. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley said he will
"stand pat" with the city's proposed $156M renovation of Soldier
Field, adding, "We as mayors and taxpayers and, of course, the
fans don't want to be held hostage to bidding wars that make
people (NFL owners) multimillionaires."  Daley added the
competition for the Bears indicates the NFL "only stands for one
thing: money" (Fran Spielman, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/14).