Wood Cutting Board

Wood County rejects zoo levy

BOWLING GREEN -- Without hope for $2.44 million boost in revenue from taxpayers in Wood County, the Toledo Zoo will look at raising prices, cutting staff and services, and charging more for visitors from outside Lucas County, Director Anne Baker said Tuesday.

"We haven't ruled anything out yet," she said after the Wood County commissioners voted 3-0 against placing the 0.85-mill operating levy that's collected in Lucas County on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Commissioner Tim Brown said he could not support the zoo's request when so many people were struggling to make ends meet.

"I don't hear from many citizens who haven't cut back at home," he said. "They kind of want government and these levy-supported organizations to go through the same thing."

The commissioners' vote followed a lengthy meeting in which people were given the opportunity to ask questions and offer their opinions.

"We're very disappointed," Ms. Baker said. "We continue to believe that we are a regional facility with great benefits to the region."

Not many in the crowd of 75 or so disagreed with that. Many said they were zoo members. Many said they loved the zoo, but they also said they would rather pay at the gate, not on the tax rolls.

"I love the zoo," said Jean Scech of Perrysburg, who promptly added that she was against a zoo levy. "I'm a senior citizen on a fixed income. I don't appreciate any more taxes. I also have been a zoo member for over 25 years. If my membership has to be raised, fine, so be it."

Ms. Baker pointed out that the levy would cost less than a membership -- about $26 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home versus $71 for a family zoo membership -- but Wood County Treasurer Jill Engle said that's still a tough order for families struggling to stay in their homes.

"People are hurting out there," she said. "We probably get 10 to 15 calls a day [from people who say] 'I can't pay this amount.' Now, if you can't pay that amount by July 8, you have a 10 percent penalty. Ouch. That hurts. Ten percent on money you don't already have."

Among the Wood County farmers who spoke, Glenna Philo of Custar said she was against the zoo levy because as the owner of agricultural land, the cost would be far more than $26 a year. "Anyone with 300 or 400 or 500 acres is going to pay a terrible tax bill," she said.

In her presentation before the public comment period, Ms. Baker said revenue from the zoo levy in Lucas County has dropped to $6.4 million a year from $7.6 million because of reduced property values. She said the zoo has tightened its belt, giving employees no raises last year and only a 1.75 percent raise this year.

Lets Make a Bar | John Boos Chop-N-Slice 20-by-15-Inch Maple ...

The John Boos Chop-N-Slice cutting board is a very good board that exceeded my expectations. Over the holidays, my in-laws were staying with us and did most of the cooking. I was worried that my brand new board would not survive the abuse because of the way they cleaned and used it. Normally, I would clean the board with a wet soapy towel and immediately rinse and dry. My in-laws on-the-other-hand would wash it in the sink with copious amounts of running hot water and lots of soap and let it air on the dish rack. The cutting board held well despite this repetitive cleaning, and I didn’t notice any warping or splitting which I noticed on my previous wooden cutting boards. I did see some splintering on the corners which is expected since this board’s edges are not rounded.

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