Tri-County Voters Renew Detroit Zoo Levy by Wide Margins

ROYAL OAK, MI — Renewal of the 0.1-mill property tax that supports operations at the Detroit Zoo appears to have passed handily, according to unofficial results of Tuesday’s primary.

Voters in Oakland, Wayne and Macomb counties were asked to renew the tax, which brings in about $11 million a year. The levy, first approved in 2008, costs the average taxpayer about $10 a year.

With all precincts reporting, the measure was approved by margins of 74 percent in Oakland County, 70 percent in Wayne County and 59 percent in Macomb County.

“We are very appreciative to the public which continues to vote — not only with their feet by visiting the zoo but also with their ballots,” Ron Kagan, the zoo’s director and CEO, said Tuesday, according to The Detroit News.

The current levy doesn’t expire until the end of 2017, and the renewal won’t take effect until 2018.

“It is a common practice and good planning to seek voter approval of a renewal prior to the expiration of the current millage,” zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills Janeway told The Detroit news prior to Tuesday’s vote. “An early millage renewal will give us ample time to prepare for next year’s budget.”

Image credit: Jennie Miller, Detroit Zoo