Lawmakers lift salary cap at the Minnesota Zoo

A panel of state lawmakers has agreed to lift a salary cap that has been in place at the Minnesota Zoo.

Lee Ehmke, the zoo's executive director, hasn't received a raise in three years, because state law limits the pay for that position to 130 percent of the governor's salary.

Lawmakers voted Monday to lift the cap of $156,000, as long as the zoo raises the additional money from private sources. Harry Haynsworth, chairman of the zoo's board of directors, says he hopes a competitive salary will keep Ehmke in Minnesota.

"He's received several offers in the last few years from other zoos both in the United States and elsewhere. And these have all been at salary levels that are astronomically different from where we are right here," says Haynsworth.

Haynsworth says the current executive director salary is the second lowest among American zoos. He says it's also more than 30 percent below the median salary for zoo directors.