Taxes Will Feed Detroit Zoo

The Michigan Legislature passed a measure last week to create a governmental authority with the ability to levy a new tax to generate revenue to finance the Detroit Zoo.

If signed into law by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the tax could be put before the voters in surrounding counties on the August ballot.

The tax would apply to Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. A 0.1 mill property tax would work out to about $10 a year on a $200,000 house. Under the law, the authority could levy the tax for up to 20 years.

Proponents said the tax would bring in an additional $12 million annually and allow the zoo to become financially self-sufficient. Detroit would still own the zoo and it would continue to be run by the Detroit Zoological Society.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has said he is in favor of the measure.

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