EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A longstanding partnership between the City of El Paso and the El Paso Zoological Society is coming to an end after the City decided not renew the non-profit’s contract.
The Zoological Society is run by a volunteer board and receives funds from local donors. For more than 60 years, the organization has worked with the El Paso Zoo assisting with education programs, operational support and memberships.
The contract was initially set to expire in December 2022 but was granted two extensions. On Feb. 26, the Zoological Society was notified that the contract would not be renewed, and the non-profit would need to vacate zoo grounds by March 17.
Supporters and staff of the non-profit organization spoke out during the Tuesday, March 12, City Council meeting expressing their disappointment with the City’s decision.
Pam Agullo, board president of the Zoological Society said: “I am extremely saddened to say that despite the society’s best efforts, the city has not shown willingness to engage in a constructive dialogue for a new agreement. We were led to believe that negotiations would begin before the agreement extensions expired.”
The City’s Communications Director, Laura Acosta-Cruz, said it is not unusual for the City to let an agreement expire. She said: “It really is a direction from the City Council members in terms of being able to look at ways that we can improve the services that we provide for the community. That is a goal.”
Since 2019, the Zoological Society has contributed 25% of gross membership revenue to the zoo. The society says it has acquired over $10 million for the zoo within the last seven years.
“We fear that without the involvement and support of the society, both the quality of the zoo and taxpayers of El Paso will suffer. It is unclear as how the City plans to fund these programs without our continued support,” Agullo said.
The City said it is looking to create a seamless process for new and existing memberships with the zoo. For now, new memberships are suspended but the City said it is looking for a new membership manager to take over that role.
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