Tuesday, April 06, 1999
Future zoo levies to be limited
County hopes to cut tax reliance
BY DAN KLEPAL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton County commissioners want to wean the Cincinnati Zoo off its appetite for tax dollars.
The zoo will receive more than $6.2 million annually over the next five years, thanks to a 1998 levy passed by Hamilton County residents.
And that's where county commissioners want it to stay.
Under an agreement expected to be approved by county commissioners Wednesday, the zoo can receive no more than $6.2 million if it asks for a renewal or replacement of the tax in 2004.
County Commissioner Bob Bedinghaus said the agreement will ensure the zoo reduces the amount of public funding by at least 5 percent after the levy expires in 2003.
The current levy will raise $6.5 million in its final year.
“That's significant,” Mr. Bedinghaus said. “One of the things we want to stress to these organizations is putting in place programs that will allow them to become less reliant on taxpayer dollars.”
The agreement also places limits on how the public money can be spent — for animal care, maintenance and utilities — and specifically says the zoo cannot use tax money to advertise in any tax levy campaign.
The zoo has been criticized in the past over paying for levy campaign advertising out of accounts that mix public and private monies.
Neither zoo director Ed Maruska nor any of the zoo's governing board could be reached for comment Monday.
The zoo also will be required to report the salaries of its top five managers and submit an annual budget and an annual report written by an accounting firm hired by the zoo to perform its audit.
“And we can look at any document we want during our audit process,” said Suzanne Burke, the county director of Administrative Services.
The zoo also will give something back to Hamilton County residents — discounted admission three days a year.
Residents can get into the zoo at half price one full weekday every year, and two “half-days” after 4 p.m. Details about the free days haven't been worked out.
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