(no subject)
As you may know, on Tuesday, August 5, a primary election will be held in Michigan. What many people do not know, is that on that day, residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties will vote on a ballot proposal that would secure public funding for the Detroit Zoo through a tax millage. This is an important proposal that would provide the funding necessary to keep the Detroit Zoo operating.
You're probably wondering what the problem is, why the Zoo is in such a dire financial situation. The answer is that when the City of Detroit turned over full responsibility of governance, management and operation of the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo to the Detroit Zoological Society in 2006, they also completely eliminated the subsidy they had provided for the Zoo for the last 77 years. This left a $10 million dollar gap in Zoo funding. In 2007 and 2008, the State of Michigan authorized emergency funding to fill the gap and to give the Detroit Zoological Society time to find a funding solution. But the legislature has made it clear that the state will not continue to provide this funding for the Zoo.
The Zoological Society has done a good job in these tough economic times to increase earned revenue and direct contributions, but there is realistically no way for them to fill this gap every year without some stable source of funding.
The campaign to support this proposal has been careful not to scare people about what happens if the proposal doesn't pass. But the reality is that, if this proposal does not pass, the Zoo will be unable to operate. Animals will be found new placements and the Zoo will cease to exist. And if the Zoo is forced to close and send animals to other zoos, there is realistically no way for it to reopen when the economy improves.
So what can you do to help?
First - be sure to vote in the August 5 election. If you're going to be out of town, absentee ballots are available.
Second - tell everyone you know in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties about this proposal and ask them to vote in support of it. Yard signs and forwarded e-mails are great, but telling people about this serious situation and asking for their help is really the best way to get the attention and support of people you know.
Third - Feel free to cut and paste this information into an e-mail and send it to everyone you know in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. We all know how quickly an e-mail can spread news, good and bad, so please use the force of the internet for good! Again, an e-mail from you is more effective that a forwarded e-mail from me.
Finally - Literature and Yard Signs are available. Please go to _ www.dzsvotereducation.org _ for more information.
A Few Facts:
How much does it cost to operate the Zoo?
The DZS has an annual operating budget of $24 million dollars to operate the Detroit Zoo and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo in fiscal 2009. The City of Detroit was the source of a direct annual operating subsidy for 77 years. The current budget has one-third coming from earned revenue (admissions, parking, concessions, rides, rentals); one-third from contributed income (donations, memberships, sponsorships, grants) and one-third from a newly proposed public funding source.
What will the proposal cost me?
The proposed 0.10 of a mill tax will cost the average homeowner of a $200,000 home approximately $10 per year. That's less than a dollar a month and will completely cover the gap in Zoo funding. Do other zoos receive public funding? Yes, more than two-thirds of nationally accredited nonprofit zoos receive public funding. Public funding accounts for 30-40 percent of the operating budgets among nonprofit-operated zoos (this figure is even higher among government-operated institutions).
Will county residents get any special discounts if the proposal passes?
Yes. The Zoo and county zoological authorities in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County will mutually determine what benefits its residents will receive should the ballot proposal pass. Benefits could include education discounts, free admission on select days, or any number of yet-to-be-determined discounts.
What happens if the tax doesn't pass?
We believe the community understands the value of this regional gem and will support this measure to secure the Zoo's future.
Please pass this along
You're probably wondering what the problem is, why the Zoo is in such a dire financial situation. The answer is that when the City of Detroit turned over full responsibility of governance, management and operation of the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo to the Detroit Zoological Society in 2006, they also completely eliminated the subsidy they had provided for the Zoo for the last 77 years. This left a $10 million dollar gap in Zoo funding. In 2007 and 2008, the State of Michigan authorized emergency funding to fill the gap and to give the Detroit Zoological Society time to find a funding solution. But the legislature has made it clear that the state will not continue to provide this funding for the Zoo.
The Zoological Society has done a good job in these tough economic times to increase earned revenue and direct contributions, but there is realistically no way for them to fill this gap every year without some stable source of funding.
The campaign to support this proposal has been careful not to scare people about what happens if the proposal doesn't pass. But the reality is that, if this proposal does not pass, the Zoo will be unable to operate. Animals will be found new placements and the Zoo will cease to exist. And if the Zoo is forced to close and send animals to other zoos, there is realistically no way for it to reopen when the economy improves.
So what can you do to help?
First - be sure to vote in the August 5 election. If you're going to be out of town, absentee ballots are available.
Second - tell everyone you know in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties about this proposal and ask them to vote in support of it. Yard signs and forwarded e-mails are great, but telling people about this serious situation and asking for their help is really the best way to get the attention and support of people you know.
Third - Feel free to cut and paste this information into an e-mail and send it to everyone you know in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties. We all know how quickly an e-mail can spread news, good and bad, so please use the force of the internet for good! Again, an e-mail from you is more effective that a forwarded e-mail from me.
Finally - Literature and Yard Signs are available. Please go to _ www.dzsvotereducation.org _ for more information.
A Few Facts:
How much does it cost to operate the Zoo?
The DZS has an annual operating budget of $24 million dollars to operate the Detroit Zoo and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo in fiscal 2009. The City of Detroit was the source of a direct annual operating subsidy for 77 years. The current budget has one-third coming from earned revenue (admissions, parking, concessions, rides, rentals); one-third from contributed income (donations, memberships, sponsorships, grants) and one-third from a newly proposed public funding source.
What will the proposal cost me?
The proposed 0.10 of a mill tax will cost the average homeowner of a $200,000 home approximately $10 per year. That's less than a dollar a month and will completely cover the gap in Zoo funding. Do other zoos receive public funding? Yes, more than two-thirds of nationally accredited nonprofit zoos receive public funding. Public funding accounts for 30-40 percent of the operating budgets among nonprofit-operated zoos (this figure is even higher among government-operated institutions).
Will county residents get any special discounts if the proposal passes?
Yes. The Zoo and county zoological authorities in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne County will mutually determine what benefits its residents will receive should the ballot proposal pass. Benefits could include education discounts, free admission on select days, or any number of yet-to-be-determined discounts.
What happens if the tax doesn't pass?
We believe the community understands the value of this regional gem and will support this measure to secure the Zoo's future.
Please pass this along