Consultants recommend Cameron Park Zoo pursue nonprofit governance, master plan and operational changes

City and zoo officials presented findings from a governance study that evaluated whether Cameron Park Zoo should shift governance from municipal operation to nonprofit oversight.

"In the privatization model ... the zoo is most likely to turn a surplus of about $2,500,000," said Zachary Winfield, senior vice president at Canopy Strategic Partners, which the city and the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society jointly commissioned for the study. Winfield added both models in the analysis assumed a continued annual city operating subsidy in the range of $3,000,000.

Nut graf: The consultants ran two primary operating models — a baseline that assumed current municipal governance and a privatized model under nonprofit management — and concluded that, given their assumptions (a master plan, modest staff increases to meet accreditation and a continued city subsidy), privatization was likely to produce a better financial outcome over the modeling period. The study also recommended pursuing a comprehensive master plan and exploring outsourcing of retail and food concessions.

Details of the evaluation - Consultant process: Canopy conducted a two-phase analysis: a discovery phase that compiled historical finance, attendance and membership data and a modeling phase that projected operations under two governance scenarios. - Assumptions: Both scenarios assume a master/site plan will be completed within 12–24 months; both assume the zoo will add approximately 30 staff positions over the multi-year horizon (to meet AZA staffing expectations) and both assume the city provides roughly $3,000,000 annually in operating support. - Financial findings: Under the baseline (municipal) scenario, Canopy projected an operating deficit of about $2,300,000 across the study window. Under the nonprofit/privatized model, Canopy estimated a surplus of roughly $2,500,000, producing an approximate $5,000,000 delta favoring privatization over the modeled period. - Personnel and benefits: The largest driver of the modeled savings was differences in personnel compensation and benefits between municipal employment and typical AZA-private governance structures. Canopy modeled equivalent staffing levels but different benefit and compensation structures, which produced an estimated personnel cost reduction of roughly $3,400,000 over the study period in the privatization scenario. - Other recommendations: The report recommends (1) commissioning a formal master plan to define phased capital improvements that will drive attendance, (2) continuing evaluation of outsourcing retail and food services for modest annual gains and (3) conducting a detailed "hidden-costs" analysis to surface central services that currently support the zoo (HR, legal, fleet, utilities) but are not captured fully in the zoo's budget.

Council and staff context Deputy City Manager Emerson and Zoo Director Bridal Wiley told the council that the report completes the first major phase of a multi-step review that began with a 2023 contract to study governance alternatives. Wiley and the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society framed the work as exploratory — not a decision — and Zachary Winfield emphasized that many operational details remain to be negotiated if the city and society decide to pursue privatization.

What happens next The city and the society will decide whether to proceed to the next steps, including a public conversation between the parties, a deep cost-allocation review, negotiation of an operating agreement and a master-planning process. City officials noted the process is iterative and would include additional public input and more detailed financial modeling before any transfer of governance or operational responsibility.

Ending: Officials emphasized no decision has been made and that the presentation was an informational milestone in a longer evaluation process.