Let Niabi Zoo grow for the whole Quad-Cities

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By Times staff | Tuesday, December 04, 2007 |

That darned river.

The jewel of our Quad-City community plays halvesies with all of the cool community-wide attractions we enjoy. Property taxes to support these things always stop at the river.

We only need one arena and Illinois-side taxpayers are stuck with the tax bill. The levy for the i wireless Center doesn’t hit Iowa.

The community’s biggest exposition center operates compliments of Davenport’s taxpayers. Illinois taxpayers aren’t hit with RiverCenter bills.

The Quad-City International Airport property tax levy applies only to the Illinois side.

Davenport taxpayers subsidize the Figge and Putnam museums.

Of course, users from both sides of the river help pay for all of these amenities when they use them.

That’s the way we’re looking at the new plan to increase property taxes for Niabi Zoo. The Rock Island County Forest Preserve Commission decided to ask Rock Island County voters to authorize a property tax increase for the zoo. The current rate of 1 cent per $100 assessed value would be increased to 6 cents.

Currently, property taxes provide 11.5 percent of the zoo’s $1.9 million operating budget. So most of the funding comes from zoo patrons.

And that includes a lot of Iowa-side Quad-Citians.

The zoo’s steady growth and ambitious plans suggest zoo attendance from both sides of the river will continue to climb, drawing more visitors whose admissions will cover an even bigger share of operating costs.

There is one thing Davenport can do to help: Close Fejervary Zoo. Fejervary is operating on the fumes of fond memories of a once-great attraction. These days, it sadly is just a hazard to animals. Davenport would need its own significant tax hike to salvage it. But why? To compete with a zoo that already has popular patron and benefactor support?

Niabi is the zoo for the entire Quad-Cities. We encourage Rock Island County taxpayers to invest in it so that all Quad-Citians can continue their support.

Zoo gift

Anyone can help Niabi Zoo with the purchase of a one-year membership. An adult membership is $30 (about 10 times what Rock Island County bills its

average residential taxpayer.)

Members get free admission to Niabi as well as free or reduced admission to hundreds of zoos nationwide, including those in Des Moines, Milwaukee, St. Louis and Omaha.

For more information, check online at www.niabizoo.com or call (309) 799-3482.

See for yourself

Niabi Zoo admission is free 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Dec. 8.