Zoological Society drops lawsuit against City of El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – The El Paso Zoological Society, recently rebranded as the Conservation Society of El Paso, withdrew its lawsuit against the City of El Paso on Jan. 27, according to court documents obtained by ABC-7.
One week later on February 3, El Paso City Council directed the City Manager and City Attorney to "take all steps and actions necessary to follow the course of action recommended" regarding the lawsuit, following an executive session meeting.
The lawsuit follows the City’s decision to close out its contract with the El Paso Zoological Society after the previous agreement expired in March 2024.
For over 60 years, the Zoological Society partnered with the City for fundraisers, and to manage volunteers for the El Paso Zoo. When the agreement ended, the City started asking the Society for information.
"We wanted a forensic financial analysis of the society's finances so that we could understand what were the donations that they were receiving, and where exactly did they belong," City Communications Director Laura Cruz-Acosta said.
The Society was in charge of collecting money for zoo memberships. Per the agreement, they held on to 75 % of the proceeds and sent 25% back to the City.
"This city zoo had not received any clear accounting for those dollars. So that's why we were asking for a full accounting."
The Zoological Society filed a lawsuit against the city in May 2024. Around the same time, the city filed complaints with the Texas Attorney General and the Internal Revenue Service.
"The Texas Attorney General and the IRS are not obligated to provide a status update with the city," Cruz-Acosta said. "They haven't come back to us and said 'this is a status of your of your complaints.'"
The Paso del Norte Community Foundation is the City's new partner in fundraising for the Zoo.
The new Conservation Society says they host "interactive experiences, conservation workshops, and youth programs" as a separate entity.
ABC-7 requested an interview with El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson, but his staff said he was not available today.
We also contacted the Conservation Society of El Paso’s CEO Renee Neuert, and Board President Pam Agullo, who did not respond to our request for an interview.
