Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District or ZMD is a cultural tax district in St. Louis City
and St. Louis County, Missouri
. The district has five subdistricts, these being the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center
, Missouri History Museum
, and Missouri Botanical Garden
. Of these, all but the Botanical Gardens are located in Forest Park
. The subsidies provided by the district ensures that the institutions are public non-profits with free admission for all.
Earl Wipfler was selected as the first Executive Director of the district in 1972, and he guided the initial creation of the district's budgeting and accounting procedures. The Missouri Supreme Court approved them. Wipfler served as Executive Director until 1990.
The Missouri Botanical Garden was added as the district's fourth subdistrict in 1983, and the History Museum in 1988.
Olney F. Otto served as the district's second executive director from 1990 until his death in 2001. Mr. J. Patrick Dougherty has served in the position since.
, St. Charles and other counties to pass tax levies to join the district (and contribute to operations of the regional attractions) have not been successful. The issue of equity has come up intermittently throughout the district's history.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
and St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
. The district has five subdistricts, these being the St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center
St. Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park. The Planetarium opened in 1963, and it was expanded and renamed as the Saint Louis Science Center in 1983...
, Missouri History Museum
Missouri History Museum
The Missouri History Museum is located in St. Louis, Missouri in Forest Park. The museum is operated by the Missouri Historical Society and was founded in 1866...
, and Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder Henry Shaw, a botanist and philanthropist.-History:...
. Of these, all but the Botanical Gardens are located in Forest Park
Forest Park (St. Louis)
Forest Park is a public park located in western part of the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It is a prominent civic center and covers . The park, which opened in 1876 more than a decade after its proposal, has hosted several significant events, including the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 and...
. The subsidies provided by the district ensures that the institutions are public non-profits with free admission for all.
History
In the early 1960s, the St. Louis Art Museum and the St. Louis Zoo were both publicly funded by a tax in St. Louis City. Zoo chairman Howard Baer and his successor, Circuit Judge Thomas F. McGuire, worked with their supporters to secure the statute to establish the district. H.B. 23 authorized a 1969 vote in St. Louis City and County, where voters approved the creation of the tax district to fund the Zoo and Art Museum at a rate of 8 cents for every $100 assessed. The Science Center, which had previously received no tax benefit, was added at a rate of 4 cents for every $100 assessed.Earl Wipfler was selected as the first Executive Director of the district in 1972, and he guided the initial creation of the district's budgeting and accounting procedures. The Missouri Supreme Court approved them. Wipfler served as Executive Director until 1990.
The Missouri Botanical Garden was added as the district's fourth subdistrict in 1983, and the History Museum in 1988.
Olney F. Otto served as the district's second executive director from 1990 until his death in 2001. Mr. J. Patrick Dougherty has served in the position since.
Revenue
From an initial annual revenue of $3.9 million in 1972, the district grew to $72 million in 2008. In the past few years, around 85% of these funds have come from the county with the city providing only about 15%. Though the tax is the same in both places, the disparity in income and population accounts for the difference in money generated.Governing Board
The eight-member governing board is composed of four appointments from St. Louis City, chosen by the mayor, and four from St. Louis County, chosen by the county executive. The terms last four years, and two positions open up on January 1 each year, one for the city and one for the county.Charges of freeloading
Through the government subsidy, all five subdistricts are able to operate without charging admission. Some people have questioned whether tourists and residents of areas outside St. Louis City and St. Louis County should continue to be allowed free admission, and that it might be just to charge them, as they contribute nothing to the regional attractions. Institutional and political efforts to persuade neighboring JeffersonJefferson County, Missouri
Jefferson County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. The county was included as the mean center of U.S. population in 1980. It is the sixth most-populous county in Missouri. Census 2010 put the population at 218,733 Its county seat is Hillsboro. The county was...
, St. Charles and other counties to pass tax levies to join the district (and contribute to operations of the regional attractions) have not been successful. The issue of equity has come up intermittently throughout the district's history.