The Jackson City Council is considering potentially shuttering the Jackson Zoo.
Discussion of the matter arose during budget hearings the council has been conducting in the past couple of weeks to set next year’s fiscal budget, and the zoo is just one area council members have been recently talking of cutting in order to find extra money.
Council President Aaron Banks spoke with the Clarion Ledger about the potential of shuttering the zoo during a budget hearing recess on Wednesday.
Banks could not say how likely it is the zoo would be shuttered, but said, “I think it’s irresponsible if we don’t discuss it.”
“(It’s) $1.8 million to fund the zoo and only $50,000 of income,” Banks said. “The city has thousands of other needs that have gone unattended too.”
Banks said money saved from the zoo could “help improve the quality of life of citizens” and go to issues such as the “beautification” of the city and fixing potholes and drainage.
“With all of the things that we have going on, all of the things that haven’t had the priority and attention that it needs, with the amount of backlogs and complaints, several things in several communities and neighborhoods, we have to do the responsible thing and look up ways to free up monies, so that we can give the citizens of Jackson that decent quality,” Banks said.
Banks said that during the budgeting process everything must be examined.
“So, everything has to be on the table,” Banks said. “Unfortunately, we are in a place where instead of there being a presentation done to us with how to address those priorities, the council is trying to find ways to do it without raising taxes.”
Deputy director Abram Muhammad presented the parks and recreation department’s budget to the mayor and council members Thursday afternoon after the recess. Muhammad defended the zoo — what he called “the elephant in the room” — emphasizing that the zoo has only been under the city’s control for three and a half years. He also corrected Banks’ statement that the zoo’s revenue per year is only $50,000; it is actually closer to $75,000 to $77,000, Muhammad said.
Muhammad said the zoo needs more time for its “revamp,” especially because the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected attendance numbers. He presented an action plan of how the department plans to advertise the zoo to bring in more revenue. The action plan includes:
- Re-establish the Friends of the Zoo Board.
- More advertising for the Jackson Zoo, including a partnership between parks and rec and Visit Jackson.
- Allocate funds to market outside of the local Jackson area to include neighboring states.
- Hire a community services supervisor.
- Build a disc golf course in Livingston park,
- More Spring and Sumer youth camps.
Source : Clarion Ledger
