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Narrower-than-proposed version of St. Louis Zoo tax bill passes in House

Courtesy of the St. Louis Zoo | Stephanie Richmond

Under a bill that passed the Missouri House on Tuesday, voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County will be able to decide whether to further fund the city's zoo via a sales tax increase.

But, originally, the tax burden — an increase of one-eighth of 1 percent — would have been shared by surrounding counties as well. That option was stripped in both House Bill 935 and Senate Bill 49 for simplicity's sake, according to legislators.

The zoo, which is free for all visitors, received about $21 million in 2015 from the Zoo-Museum District property tax that's levied in St. Louis and St. Louis County. Earlier versions of House Bill 935 included St. Charles, Franklin, and Jefferson counties as part of the new proposed tax, and would have created a commission made up of the four counties and St. Louis. 

“We just thought that would be the simpler way to get this done but still limit the amount of money that could be taxed for this purpose," said Rep. Marsha Haefner, a Republican from Oakville who sponsored the House bill. 

The Senate's version received first-round approval last week and is scheduled for another vote Thursday. Democratic floor leader Gina Walsh of Bellefontaine Neighbors, who is sponsoring the bill, said she took out the other counties in order to “garner more support from other legislators.” 

Opponents in the House, including Democrat Tracy McCreery of Olivette, said another sales tax would place an extra burden on homeowners.

“In a way, it’d be like I’m being double-taxed, so I’m paying for the zoo not only through my personal property tax, but now you want to tax us through a sales tax,” she said. “How many more taxes are St. Louis County residents and homeowners going to pay until we say ‘enough is enough?’”

Earlier this month, county voters approved a half-cent sales tax increase for policing and public safety purposes.

Haefner said McCreery's concern is addressed by a provision that keeps the total combined rate of locally passed sales taxes from exceeding 1 percent.

Another piece of the House bill allows the St. Louis Zoo to charge admission to city and county residents if the sales tax measure doesn't pass, but only for “zoological facilities, programs, or events” that aren't on the zoo grounds.

Zoo president and CEO Jeffrey Bonner testified in March that the organization spending $2 million annually on infrastructure, much of which is deteriorating due to age. The St. Louis Zoo opened in 1904.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Missouri Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a proud alumnus of the University of Mississippi (a.k.a., Ole Miss), and has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off the old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Mason, and their cat, Honey.
Marshall Griffin
St. Louis Public Radio State House Reporter Marshall Griffin is a native of Mississippi and proud alumnus of Ole Miss (welcome to the SEC, Mizzou!). He has been in radio for over 20 years, starting out as a deejay. His big break in news came when the first President Bush ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989. Marshall was working the graveyard shift at a rock station, and began ripping news bulletins off an old AP teletype and reading updates between songs. From there on, his radio career turned toward news reporting and anchoring. In 1999, he became the capital bureau chief for Florida's Radio Networks, and in 2003 he became News Director at WFSU-FM/Florida Public Radio. During his time in Tallahassee he covered seven legislative sessions, Governor Jeb Bush's administration, four hurricanes, the Terri Schiavo saga, and the 2000 presidential recount. Before coming to Missouri, he enjoyed a brief stint in the Blue Ridge Mountains, reporting and anchoring for WWNC-AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Marshall lives in Jefferson City with his wife, Julie, their dogs, Max and Liberty Belle, and their cat, Honey.