(UPDATED) Minnesota Shutdown Day 2: Judge Rules Minnesota Zoo to Remain Open During Shutdown; Running Aces, Canterbury Will Remain Closed

Update: Saturday, July 2 at 7 p.m.: ruled Saturday afternoon that the Minnesota Zoo can remain operational during .

She also ruled, however, that Shakopee’s Canterbury Park and Forest Lake’s Running Aces may not operate until the state’s budget debate is resolved.  

In her zoo decision, Gearin used a standing appropriations rule to determine that fees garnered from parking, concessions, admissions, donations and memberships should be returned to the Apple Valley facility.

Gearin’s ruling read: “The statutes regarding zoo special revenue funds do not appear to the court to require a decision by the legislature before they can be appropriated.”

The zoo is scheduled to reopen to the public at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The Minnesota Zoo receives approximately 29 percent of its revenue from the state and—because it was deemed non-essential in Gearin’s June 29 ruling—those funds will be unavailable for the duration of the shutdown.

Gearin’s ruling on the ponies went the other way.

On Saturday afternoon, she denied petitions from Shakopee’s Canterbury Park and Forest Lake’s Running Aces harness racing track, saying the Minnesota Racing Commission must request state funding. Without a biennial budget in place, no requests for funding can be made.

Like the zoo, neither track was considered an essential function in Gearin’s June 29 ruling.  

In contrast, Gearin said she ruled in favor of the zoo because she “was unable to find any bills from the 87th legislative session” dealing with appropriations to that facility.   

According to the Star Tribune, Canterbury Park laid off 1,000 employees in the lead-up to the July 1 government shutdown while Running Aces laid off 600 workers.

First Post: The Minnesota Judicial Center and the Ramsey County District Courthouse are closed until July 5, security officers at both facilities confirmed Saturday.

Rulings on the 22 petitions for funding heard on July 1—including , the Minnesota Zoo, Minnesota Coalition of Battered Women, Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Canterbury Park—may come over the weekend but Special Master Kathleen Blatz will not hear any new appeals until after the holiday.

But Richfield and other nonprofit organizations seeking to join the queue are in luck, because petitions for funding will continue to be received and processed through the holiday weekend.

The Ramsey County Second District requests new petitioners looking to schedule a hearing before the Special Master to contact the Civil Division’s Christopher Channing via e-mail or by calling 651-266-8260.

Patch will continue to provide updates on the rulings both here and on our Facebook page and Twitter at @RichfieldPatch.