Council approves Washington Park Zoo aviary funding from park concession fund

The Michigan City Common Council approved an ordinance authorizing an additional appropriation from the park concession nonreverting fund (Fund 2507) to construct a new enclosed aviary wing at Washington Park Zoo. The ordinance passed on third reading with a unanimous recorded vote.

Councilman Blair Dabney, one of the sponsors, said the enclosure is an operational priority: “They're constructing [an] aviary for the birds over there, and they need protection, ASAP because of things like bird flu and things like that going around.” The ordinance draws the funding from the zoo’s concession fund, which council members described as nonreverting operating revenue the zoo has generated; the ordinance text did not specify the dollar amount in the council discussion recorded in the meeting transcript.

The ordinance received no public opposition during the council’s advertised public hearing and passed on a recorded vote of 9–0.