Know the Ballot: Ingham County Voters to Decide on Majority of Potter Park Zoo Operating Funds at August Election

The bulk of Potter Park Zoo’s operating funds will be on the ballot Aug. 4, as voters will decide whether or not to renew the millage funding the zoo. 

The proposed millage is a six-year renewal for .5 mills, or 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable value. The millage would cost about $50 annually for a home with a fair market value of $200,000, according to Potter Park Zoo. The millage is expected to bring in more than $5.1 million in 2027.

When the millage was last renewed in 2020, it was supported by about 73% of voters. 

The millage provides funding for about 68% of the zoo’s annual operating costs, largely covering the cost of employees and to care for animals, Potter Park Zoo Director Cynthia Wagner explained in an interview on Monday with East Lansing Info. 

The zoo, which has operated for more than 100 years in Lansing, is reliant on the millage funding to continue normal operations. The millage provides such a large portion of the zoo’s budget, basic adjustments like increasing the price of admission would not make up the difference, Wagner said. 

If voters opt against renewing funding, the zoo’s future becomes murky. Wagner explained that if the millage fails, management of the property reverts from Ingham County to the City of Lansing. 

Lansing does not have funding built into its recently passed budget to replace the money provided by the millage, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor said in a statement provided to ELi through a city spokesperson.

“Ingham County voters have always strongly supported the Potter Park Zoo,” Schor’s statement said. “It’s an incredible asset for our entire region and the millage is critical for keeping the zoo operating and accredited with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Generations of Lansing-area families have enjoyed the zoo and recent improvements and upgrades thanks to the support of the millage have transformed and modernized the zoo. The simple fact is, the City did not set aside more than $5 million in our recently passed budget to take over zoo operations, nor do we have nearly that amount for future operations. If the Zoo millage fails, the City and our partners at the county and the zoo would have to take a hard look and assess our options. However, we are confident that Ingham County voters will come through and support the zoo once again.”

A significant reduction in funding would mean that Potter Park cannot continue to provide the same programming and care for more than 330 animals that drove over 195,000 visitors to the zoo last year, Wagner said. 

Potter Park employees make an effort to ensure the zoo is a community space, Wagner said, offering monthly free sensory-friendly events for people with special needs, collaborating with local schools to provide educational opportunities and allowing free access for Ingham County residents on Monday mornings and before the zoo opens on other days in the spring and summer. 

“Not every zoo’s the same,” she said. “We try to really be a community-based zoo and make decisions for animal welfare and for our community.”