Voters in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County approved the establishment of the Zoo-Museum Tax District (ZMD) in 1971. The ZMD Tax District was empowered to tax property owners to provide financial support for the Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis Science Center and the Saint Louis Art Museum. Later additions were the Missouri Historical Society and Missouri Botanical Garden.
The ZMD is governed by an eight-member Board of Directors. The Mayor of St. Louis appoints four members. The County Executive appoints the other four members. All have terms of four years. The Board of Directors act as stewards of the tax dollars collected for the ZMD and distributed to member organizations.
The ZMD is funded by an allocation of City and County property taxes. In 1972, the allocation was $4,000,000, with approximately 63% from the County and 37% from the City. By 1997, the allocation had grown to $40,000,000, with 82% from the County and 18% from the City. All but $200,000 of tax proceeds is disbursed to member organizations. There is no sunset clause for the District.
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