The time has come for Erie City Council to stop stalling and act: the Erie Zoo must be transferred to Erie Events. It is the most logical, fiscally responsible move available, and yet Council continues to delay.
The Zoo is underfunded, understaffed, and struggling to meet accreditation standards. Meanwhile, the city is in no financial position to support or sustain it. That alone should make this an easy decision. Erie Events has a proven track record of revitalizing and successfully managing major public venues in our community. Look at the Bayfront Convention Center, UPMC Park, the Warner Theatre, and the Erie Insurance Arena. These facilities are thriving because they are in capable hands.
The Zoo needs help. Erie Events is ready to step in. The case is clear, and the time to act is now.
City Council’s continued indecision comes as the City of Erie faces mounting financial pressure. In 2020, Public Financial Management Inc. issued a Five-Year Financial Management Plan that concluded there is no path to fiscal stability without major changes. The plan outlined dozens of responsible reforms. Five years later, nearly all of them remain untouched.
Mayor Schember did check off a couple boxes. He implemented a stormwater fee and used the one-time water lease prepayment to avoid raising taxes for five years. That may have been politically convenient, but it was financially reckless. That money should have been used to stabilize the city’s long-term future. Instead, it was spent on short-term relief and now it’s gone.
As a direct result of this mismanagement, an unavoidable large tax increase is looming, and it will be forced upon the next administration and the residents of Erie. The money has dried up, the problems have grown, and the path forward is narrowing.
At the same time, the city continues to fund both a defined benefit and a defined contribution pension plan for employees. This is not just uncommon, it is unsustainable. The police and fire pension systems are distressed, and these liabilities remain a large driver of the city’s rising costs.
Despite all of this, City Council is now considering a 30 million dollar bond to redevelop the long-vacant Miller Brothers property on State Street. This is a major financial decision with long-term implications, and it should not be rushed through in the final months of an outgoing administration. Let the next mayor and council evaluate whether this project is appropriate, affordable, and aligned with the city’s priorities.
But even more urgent is the situation at the zoo. The City of Erie cannot afford to operate it. Transferring the zoo to Erie Events is the only smart operational decision. Continuing to keep it under city control only increases the financial pressure and risks the zoo’s survival.
What we are seeing from City Council is not leadership. The cost of this will fall squarely on the backs of taxpayers who deserve better.
Erie cannot afford more inaction. The time to lead is now.
Sincerely,
Senator Dan Laughlin
49th District, Pennsylvania Senate