Past model could end zoo impasse

As a member of the Sedgwick County Zoological Society board and an elected member of the Sedgwick County Commission, I am very proud of our world-class zoo.

The highly politicized and public debate over the county’s desire to update the Sedgwick County Zoo operating agreement has been unfortunate and unnecessary. This dispute is hurting the zoo employees and citizens who are unintentional victims of the continued impasse. I want them to feel safe and secure that the zoo is an everlasting part of our community. I want to solve this quickly for them and regain the collaborative relationship enjoyed over a four-decade period between Sedgwick County and the zoo board.

For a number of weeks, I have been developing a fresh idea that may really help the zoo while satisfying the concerns of the county. I hope this proposal will be pleasing to the zoo board, the other commissioners and the public. The citizens demand resolution, so I offer a solution that achieves rebuilding the partnership and bond to serve the citizens.

Interestingly, I was surprised to discover that the county used to provide a constant mill levy calculation to determine the level of funding for the zoo. In 2000 the county moved away from this dedicated mill levy to our current model of funding, whereby the funding level is decided by the discretion of the County Commission.

If the county and the zoo would agree to return to the former funding model, the natural incentives that would result would be good for the zoo, the county and the community. And whatever economic pressure the county could experience would not affect zoo funding decisions, since the funding would be formulaic rather than discretionary.

This basic change would create the funding certainty the zoo needs, but it would also enhance the zoo’s autonomy, authority and control. The issues we have been at odds over would no longer be important, because the county and the zoo would become better community partners and our missions would become intertwined.

If we return to the 2000 mill levy equivalent, the zoo would receive nearly $398,000 above the record-level 2017 proposed budget. The zoo would then enjoy economic-driven certainty from this point forward. I am hopeful the zoo will agree that using a dedicated mill levy to fund the zoo is a great funding arrangement that will provide certainty for our zoo while also encouraging the economy and the community to thrive.

This story was originally published August 9, 2016 at 12:07 AM with the headline "Past model could end zoo impasse."