LIBERTY TOWNSHIP — A yearlong legal dispute between Liberty Township and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium over a proposed surcharge on zoo admissions could soon come to an end.
Liberty Township trustees approved a settlement agreement Monday between the township and the Columbus Zoological Park Association, which operates the zoo.
Under the agreement, obtained by Delaware Source, the zoo would pay the township as much as $875,000 over the next five years while Liberty Township continues providing EMS services to the zoo.
Trustees also rescinded two resolutions related to the township’s “Protect and Serve” charge, effectively abandoning the surcharge at the center of the lawsuit.
“The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is pleased to have reached a mutually agreeable resolution that brings this matter to a close,” the zoo said in a statement to Delaware Source. “We believe resolving this matter is in the best interest of all involved and provides an opportunity to move forward.”
Liberty Township trustees did not respond to requests for comment before publication.
How the dispute got here
Liberty Township initially approved a $1 “Protect and Serve” charge in July 2025 before later reducing it to 75 cents.
The charge would have been added to certain zoo admissions and memberships to help offset the township’s cost of providing fire and emergency medical services to the zoo.
The zoo sued Liberty Township in Delaware County Common Pleas Court on Aug. 6, 2025, challenging the township’s authority to impose the charge and seeking to prevent its collection.
At the time it filed the lawsuit, the zoo argued the charge was disproportionate to the emergency services Liberty Township provided.
“The Zoo’s EMS and safety teams manage the majority of guest medical and safety incidents,” the zoo said in announcing the lawsuit.
“For major medical situations requiring hospital transport, they receive support from Liberty Township Fire Department, and these services make up less than 3 percent of the services the Township provides to the community.”
A visiting judge ultimately ruled that the township had authority under state law to impose the charge, and the zoo appealed that decision to Ohio’s Fifth District Court of Appeals.
In his ruling, visiting Judge Richard Frye noted that the zoo estimated the $1 fee would generate about $2 million annually for the township, according to reporting from WOSU.
The dispute took another turn in June when state lawmakers repealed a 2025 law that had allowed certain townships to impose a “protect and serve charge” on admissions to large, tax-exempt entertainment venues. The change effectively prevented Liberty Township from collecting its proposed 75-cent charge on Columbus Zoo admissions.
This prompted Gov. Mike DeWine to bring both parties together to resolve the dispute, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
After meeting with DeWine, the zoo previously agreed to pay Liberty Township $2,750 per EMS run for the next five years, according to the Dispatch.
What the settlement requires
Under the settlement, the zoo will pay Liberty Township $150,000 within five business days of the agreement’s effective date, followed by annual payments of $115,000 for five years beginning Dec. 31, 2026.
That amounts to $875,000 over the life of the agreement if all payments are made.
The annual payments are tied to Liberty Township continuing to provide EMS services to the zoo. If the township voluntarily stops providing those services during the five-year period, the zoo would no longer be required to make the remaining annual payments.
The settlement also stipulates the zoo may not procure EMS services from any public entity and/or political subdivision other than Liberty Township until all compensation has been paid to the township.
It does, however, allow the zoo to contract with a private EMS provider at any time.
The zoo previously contracted with Ultra EMS, which it said “helped serve our guests and community by supporting our internal EMS services at the Zoo through a busy summer season.”
