Minnesota Zoo eyes layoffs as attendance, revenue drop

The Minnesota Zoo plans to deal with a looming budget shortfall by laying off seven employees, leaving some jobs unfilled and making other spending cuts. The moves will save about $500,000.

The cuts will offset increased costs and reduced revenue from lower attendance, membership and vendor commissions. The spending reductions will put the zoo back on track to be in the black for the fiscal year, spokeswoman Beth Burns said.

"We obviously have a responsibility to continue to monitor our budget. But we believe these cuts represent the extent of cost cuts we need to make at this time," Burns added.

The zoo has about 270 permanent employees and an annual budget of $25 million. Nearly 70 percent of that goes to employee salaries and benefits. The state provides about a quarter of the institution's revenue.

In a letter to employees last month, zoo president Lee Ehmke said the summer was not kind to the institution — year-to-date attendance was about 4 percent below projections and membership revenue was 13 percent off target.

He warned that staff reductions would be necessary.