Liberty Township and the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium have reached a settlement to end a lawsuit that spanned over a year and was filed by the zoo over a ticket fee the township established to help fund its emergency services.
Under the settlement, the zoo will pay the township $150,000 in August to resolve unpaid ticket fees since trustees first approved a fee on zoo tickets in 2025, according to a press release.
The zoo will pay the township an additional $115,000 annually for the next five years, through 2030, to fund the township's fire and emergency services.
The zoo will drop the lawsuit, and the township will rescind the fee moving forward, per the terms of the settlement agreement, which the trustees approved at their Aug. 10 meeting.
“This settlement
is a win for Liberty Township taxpayers,” Liberty Township Administrator Cathy Buehrer said in a press release. “It ends the litigation, covers our legal expenses, and provides a five-year revenue stream to our fire department’s budget. Every dollar of this settlement goes to fire and EMS funds.”
The Dispatch has also reached out to the zoo for comment.
Gov. Mike DeWine intervened in June to try and broker a deal between the township and the zoo. Under DeWine's deal, the zoo agreed to pay $2,750 per EMS run for the next five years.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers regional/suburban trending news for The Columbus Dispatch. She can be reached at awinfrey@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Zoo and Liberty Township settle ticket fee lawsuit
