Another zoo opening

Normally I don't do quick hitter news stories, and two in one night is unusual. But flipping through my blogs and papers this drew my interest, it's a story about the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, whose chief is also leaving. From tomorrow's Sun:

Late last year, zoo officials requested a $4 million increase in state aid, pointing to a looming $3 million budget deficit. The state has since pledged a $2 million increase for fiscal 2008; the city has increased its funding by $200,000 and Baltimore County by $50,000, according to zoo officials.

Obviously having a governor who used to be Baltimore mayor probably helps grease some of the state skids, but still that's a lot of tax money. However:

Largely subsidized by the state, the zoo's budget has increased about 1 percent annually since 1993. While its funding has remained steady, the number of visitors has declined markedly. Last year, the zoo tallied about 332,000 visitors, compared with 537,000 in 1993. The standard adult admission is $15 -- a price that zoo officials concede might affect attendance, but they said it is necessary to generate revenue.

So we have two extremes here. The Salisbury Zoo charges no admission and gets very little revenue because of that fact. On the other hand, visitor numbers are declining in Baltimore because they charge too much. It's a lot like tax rates, which is why tax cuts always stimulate the economy and end up bringing in more revenue. The key is finding the perfect rate to generate revenue but not strangle commerce. In this case, I think a small user fee is appropriate and have said so on several occasions.

But I'd like to ask a favor of the Maryland Zoo board. It's more than likely you'll have several excellent candidates to choose from. Since you can't hire them all, could you send a couple of your good runners-up Salisbury way?