State audit sheds light on zoo spending scandal

• Faber recommended stricter financial policies, but did not mention any additional restitution or settlements needed.

Follow the money: The audit covers 2011-2021. It outlines how former zoo executives, including CEO Tom Stalf, misused $2.3 million in zoo assets for personal gain.

• Included are dozens of receipts and internal emails between executives planning family vacations, concerts, and stadium suites — on the zoo's dime.

The other side: New zoo leaders have instituted new fiscal policies and hired a new firm to conduct annual audits.

What we're watching: The zoo's current 10-year levy expires at the end of this year. Officials have until August to place it on the November ballot.