Want to Celebrate the Detroit Zoo’s 80th Birthday? Gift it a Future

If you want an example of how Mayor Kilpatrick’s problems are affecting the image of the city, check out the comments on WDIV ClickonDetroit.com's forum. A lot of voters are spurning the proposed zoo ballot because they are fearful the money raised through the millage will end up in Kilpatrick’s pocket or just resentful that his name is still on the zoo tower.

However you feel about the mayor, it is important to realize that the City of Detroit took on the responsibility for the zoo back in 1924 when no other public entity, county or state, would. From the time the zoo opened in 1928 until 2006, when its management, operation and governance was passed to the non-profit Detroit Zoological Society, a subsidy from the city kept the zoo afloat. This was true even though the zoo was actually located outside of the city in Oakland County, where a large part of the city’s tax base eventually sprawled.

The fact that the City of Detroit still technically owns the zoo seems to be an obstacle to many voters in voting “yes” on the millage proposal; but the fact is that Detroit did its part for years toward sustaining a Metro-Area attraction. Now it is time for the suburbs to step up.

The Detroit Zoo is the Detroit Metro Area’s #1 attraction and contributes more than $60 million a year to Michigan’ economy. It is a zoo that our parents and our children alike have visited and enjoyed over the years. In fact, according to The Oakland Press, well over half the visitors to the zoo are from the suburbs.

While some argue that that zoo experience is paid for through membership and/or daily admission fees, still others recognize that more than two-thirds of the nonprofit zoos across the country require some type of levy to survive. For instance, according to the Detroit Free Press, the Toledo Zoo has two levies that together total more than 18 times that proposed for the Detroit Zoo. It is also important to note that residents of the counties that pass the millage will receive some type of discount toward admission.

If Mayor Kilpatrick’s pockets are still an issue for you, realize that the use of the funds will be ably monitored not only by the board of the Detroit Zoological Society, but a special tax authority in each county.

Convinced yet? Then get thee to the polls. The biggest enemy to the passage of the zoo millage, especially in an August election, is apathy.

More Information:

• The millage will cost the average county resident $10 a year. To find out exactly how much it will cost you, check out OurZooIsWorthKeeping.org’s tax calculator.
• The Detroit Zoo’s 2007 Annual Report
• The Detroit Zoo website