Petitioners for the Pueblo Zoo have officially gathered enough signatures to get a retail sales tax on the ballot. The city says they surpassed the more than a thousand signatures needed, but there are still a few more steps.
Pueblo Zoo Financial Issues
The Pueblo Zoo has been dealing with financial issues for months. Zoo leadership says if they don’t get more funding in the next 2 to 3 years, they will likely be forced to close their doors. The zoo cites budget cuts and inflation.
Although they’ve held events, fundraisers, and were even allocated some money from city council, they say it’s not enough. “That gave us some breathing room, even flatlining. The budget is we’re not keeping up with inflation and everything that we need to do for maintenance at the zoo,” shared executive director Abbie Kraus.
Mayor Heather Graham is also working on her own sales tax proposal. In it, she has four buckets, one of which would partially support the Pueblo Zoo.
Now that petitioners have got all the signatures they needed, this ballot measure still has to go to city council. That’s expected to happen on Monday. If this passes in November, zoo leadership estimates it would rake in $3.5 million.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
