Council votes to free zoo bond funds

After a week of investigating concerns over fundraising — and weathering a haranguing from a state taxpayers' group — the Salt Lake County Council voted Tuesday to release a $33 million voter-approved bond earmarked for improvements at Hogle Zoo.

The council postponed a vote on the bond last week after red flags were raised over how the zoo had hit its target of $11 million in private fundraising — a requisite of the bond issue that 72 percent of county voters backed in 2008.

Of concern where a long-term pledge of $2.5 million made by the zoo's concessions contractor and the accounting behind donation money collected in 2006 and spent on a previous improvement project.

Republican Councilman Max Burdick said he had initial misgivings about whether the zoo had met its mandate and had even voted against the bond last fall. On Tuesday, however, Burdick said a closer look at the issues had assuaged his discomfort.

"I'm satisfied with what I've seen," Burdick said. "I think in the best interest of voters, the sooner we get some of these issues out of the way, get rid of some of the minutiae and move forward, the better."

Burdick's GOP colleague, Councilman Jeff Allen, came to a different conclusion after his week of review and was the sole dissenting vote Tuesday.

Allen said he was still not convinced the zoo had met its obligation to taxpayers. He said he would have preferred that the pledge by the concessionaire, payable over 10 years, be prorated and some $850,000 raised in 2006 and spent on the zoo's Asian Highlands exhibit not be included in the reckoning of the private fundraising.

"In my opinion, this is more of a principle decision rather than a financial decision," Allen said. "It seems that it would be inappropriate at this time to include those monies."

A similar contention was made by the Utah Taxpayers' Association in testimony to the council last week. Democratic Council Chairman Joe Hatch recognized that the payout schedule was unusually long compared with what the council has allowed in previous bond measures. But Hatch characterized the criticisms of the fundraising as misplaced and unfair.

"(Voters) wanted $44 million in capital improvements to go to the zoo," he said. "And guess what? The moment we say it, it's going to happen."

The council did say it, voting 7-1 to approve the zoo achieving its private fundraising goal and releasing the $33 million in public money. Democratic Councilman Randy Horiuchi said a high-quality zoo facility was a tell-tale of positive development.

"A zoo, in my view, is one of those signals that your community has decided to step up … and make the decision that this is going to be a better place," Horiuchi said.

Hogle Zoo executive director Craig Dinsmore lauded the council after the vote for standing behind the will of Salt Lake County residents. He also promised great new things at the zoo.

"This is just validating what the voters wished for last November," Dinsmore said. "The changes are going to be huge. The bond money combined with the contributions we've raised are going to provide substantial improvements to the zoo."

e-mail: araymond@desnews.com