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City Council to discuss renewal of tax measure expected to raise $17.7 million for San Diego Zoo

Crowds enjoy the Flamingo habitat at the San Diego Zoo on Thursday, April 7, 2022 in San Diego, CA.
Crowds enjoy the flamingo habitat at the San Diego Zoo in April.
(Eduardo Contreras / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The tax has been levied on property owners since 1934

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Many property owners in the city of San Diego do not buy an annual pass to the zoo, but they do pay an annual tax.

At just a half-cent for every $100 of their property’s value, the annual tax isn’t much of a burden to homeowners. For a property assessed at $1 million, paying $.005 for every $100 of its value comes to $50 a year.

It does add up for the San Diego Zoo, however. A City Council staff report shows it is projected to generate $17.7 million in fiscal 2023.

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Known as a mill tax, it was established in 1934 and is levied annually. The San Diego City Council is scheduled to discuss continuing the tax at the same rate Tuesday.

Under the agreement approved by voters in 1934, the zoo cares for the city-owned property, including its facilities and wildlife, at no cost to the city other than the mill tax, which is supposed to be used exclusively for maintenance of zoological exhibits.

The agreement hasn’t changed much over the decades. It originally levied 2 cents for every $100 of property as a way to keep the zoo’s finances and operations afloat, and the assessment was lowered to a half-cent in 1981.

The zoo is in San Diego City Council District 3, represented by Councilmember Stephen Whitburn.

Benny Cartwright, community representative for Whitburn, said Monday that his office has not heard any significant feedback on the item, and no one had approached Whitburn about it.

Attorney John Stump has spoken at past council hearings on the tax, which he has said was intended to be an emergency fix, not a permanent levy. Stump said he plans to address the council again on Tuesday, but there has not been an organized opposition to it during past meetings, and no public comments about it have been submitted for Tuesday’s meeting.

“Why did we put the tax?” he said about the 1934 vote. “The tax was to cover the small municipal zoo that Parks and Recreation was running.”

The zoo is much larger today and is running at a profit. Stump said he doesn’t necessarily think the tax should be cut, but believes the city should use it as leverage to better oversee the zoo’s operation.

For instance, he said the zoo should hire more San Diegans so it benefits more local families, and he would like city residents to get discounts to the attraction. Single-day admission is $65 for adults and $55 for children.

“They should make it affordable to San Diegans who already are paying for it,” he said.

In 2013, a report from City Auditor Eduardo Luna found the zoo was not providing enough information to show how money from the tax was spent.

“There are not policies or written procedures for handling the zoo fund,” he wrote in the report. “In general, we found little evidence of ongoing, regular communication between the city and the zoo on fund budgeting issues.”

In response, the zoo’s chief financial officer said a separate account would be set up to outline where the funds are spent.

Zoo spokesperson Jenny Mehlow said the taxes pay for a fraction of the expenses they can be used for. The tax pays for labor and expenses for wildlife care, veterinary care, nutrition, facility operations and maintenance at the zoo.

In 2022, those costs were $57 million, and the tax brought in $16 million, she said. The balance was paid by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

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