April 17, 2024
Lisa Smith
President & CEO
The Buffalo Zoo
300 Parkside Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14214
Dear Ms. Smith,
We are writing to express our concerns and voice our opposition to changes to the Buffalo Zoo’s admission policy, intended to create a “Zoo for All.” We believe your new policy eliminates the affordability of a day trip to the zoo for most middle-class families we represent. It is our request that you reconsider the outrageous increases in your admission prices, which are also forcing us to reconsider our support for the Buffalo Zoo’s county operating funds.
As Legislators, we have the authority to set Erie County’s annual operating budget. For 2024, the County Executive proposed granting the Buffalo Zoo $1.7 million in operating funds. The Erie County Legislature, with our Caucus’ support, increased the county’s annual support of the Zoo by 17.65%, providing your organization with $2 million of taxpayer funds in 2024. To be clear, it was not our intent to increase taxpayer support of the Buffalo Zoo in exchange for you to drastically increase admission prices, in a move that prices out so many from enjoying the asset they are already heavily subsidizing with their tax dollars. In the past decade, Erie County taxpayers have provided nearly $16 million ($15,866,700) to the Buffalo Zoo for your operations.
While the goal of making the zoo more accessible to everyone is admirable, our caucus cannot support a program which forces some to pay more to cover the potential operating losses that achievement of the goal produces. We do understand that your initial proposal was to charge guests $30, and you have reduced that to $25, but for a taxpayer supported entity, that is still far too much of an annual increase, and calls into question our support for the Buffalo Zoo’s annual operating fund grant.
It is our hope that you reconsider this unfair policy and find one that makes the taxpayer supported Buffalo Zoo affordable for everyone. Failure to do so may result in our caucus sponsoring legislation on this issue. We will not stand idly by as middle-class families we represent are priced out of a day trip to our local zoo. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
Sincerely,
Hon. John Mills Minority Leader, Erie County Legislator, District 11
Hon. Christopher Greene Erie County Legislator, District 6
Hon. Frank Todaro Erie County Legislator, District 8
Hon. Lindsay Lorigo Erie County Legislator, District 10