Former Gov. Quinn calls for referendum on using taxpayer money to fund new Chicago stadiums

CHICAGO - Chicago Bears fans are excited about a domed stadium being built right here at the lakefront, but a big question is, where is all of that money going to come from? 

Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will introduce a Chicago ordinance Wednesday morning that calls for a November voter referendum on whether state or local tax dollars should be spent to build a new stadium or real estate development for the Bears and the White Sox.

White Sox management continues to research the possibility of a new South Loop stadium at the vacant 62-acre site known as The 78. 

Pritzker commented on the potential White Sox project last month, expressing skepticism about how the stadium would be funded.

"It looks beautiful and obviously we all want our professional teams to succeed in Illinois," Pritzker said. "We need to be careful about how we use public dollars and a private business like a pro team, even if they are beloved by so many people, are nevertheless similar to lots of businesses in the state."

The Bears are on board to pay $2 billion toward a stadium on Chicago's Museum Campus. This after first considering the former Arlington Heights Racetrack as their new home. 

Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said Tuesday that they are solely focused on building a new stadium along Chicago's lakefront.

We should be able to figure this out and just think of the message that this would send not only to the business community across the country, but across the world, and the message that it sends to our young people that these are opportunities you can always find something wrong with mega-development projects. 

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What Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren said about a lakefront stadium and timeline at the NFL Owners Meetings

Here's what Warren said about the Bears' new stadium efforts, including why the Bears are hoping to break ground as soon as the end of this year.