By Jeremy Carroll
C & G Staff Writer

PONTIAC — Voters in Oakland County will be asked a ballot question in the August primary election to help fund the Detroit Zoo through a 0.10-mill tax increase.

The move comes after the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved placing the question on the Aug. 5 ballot by an 18-5 vote, with two members absent during a special meeting on May 14.

The millage would cost a taxpayer of a home valued at $200,000 approximately $10 annually.

“This is great news,” said Executive Director of the Detroit Zoological Society Ron Kagan after the vote. “There has been tremendous leadership on the part of the Oakland County Commission, and the Oakland County executive and his team to get it to this point to be able to ask the voters.”

The zoo is asking the commissioners in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties to set up zoo authorities, which are allowed under a recently passed state law. The law allows for the collection of up to 0.10 mills for a period of up to 20 years, with approval from voters. Voters in Oakland County will be asked to pass the increase for a period of 10 years.

The city of Detroit turned over management of the Detroit Zoo, located in Royal Oak, and the Belle Isle Nature Zoo, to the zoological society in 2006. The city also stopped paying an annual subsidy of $8 million annually for operations and $2 million-$3 million for capital maintenance.

Under the state act recently passed, residents of an approving taxing authority would get discounted membership fees and admission fees to the zoo.

There was some opposition from commissioners on putting the millage question on the primary-election ballot.

“I’m all for putting the referendum on the ballot to allow the people to decide, but I think we need the greatest number of voters to come out,” said Christine Long, R-Commerce Township, who cast one of the five dissenting votes.

She was in support of putting the issue on the November ballot, an amendment that ultimately failed.

“The zoo is a wonderful cultural gem,” said Helanie Zack, D-Huntington Woods, who voted for putting the question on the ballot. “We need to support institutions such as the zoo.”

Dave Coulter, D-Ferndale, said it’s important to remember that they are simply putting the question to voters, who can decide if funding the zoo through a tax increase is important to them.

“I think it’s fair to ask them the question,” he said.

Kagan said the zoo would be setting up a separate nonprofit group to lobby for the tax-increase approval, and they expected to raise and spend $600,000 on the effort. The advertising campaign, designed by Southfield-based Doner Advertising, will feature billboards, television commercials and lawn signs that look like animals.

“We think it’s very exciting and we think it gets to the heart of the issue, which is the zoo is worth keeping,” Kagan said. “That is what the ballot issue is all about.”

Macomb and Wayne county commissioners have not yet approved the measure to be placed on the August primary ballot. If it is on the ballot, and approved by all three counties, the tax is expected to raise approximately $12 million annually.

In addition to Long, opposing putting the millage to a vote of the residents in August were Eileen Kowall, R-White Lake Township; John Scott, R-Waterford; Sue Ann Douglas, R-Rochester; and Robert Gosselin, R-Troy.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Carroll at jcarroll@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1110.