Voters in St. Louis County have voted to pay more sales tax to help one of the area's finest institutions, the Saint Louis Zoo.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Voters in St. Louis County have voted to pay more sales tax to help one of the area's finest institutions, the Saint Louis Zoo.

Proposition Z asked voters if they wanted to impose a county-wide sales tax of one-eighth of one percent — or a penny for every eight dollars spent — to give to the Saint Louis Zoo. The money would be used to help care for the animals, repair the buildings and expand into north St. Louis County.

The Zoo recently bought 425 acres in north St. Louis County with the intention of building a conservation and animal science center that could even include a safari.

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The tax is expected to raise about $20 million per year.

This wasn't the only tax increase on the ballot in St. Louis County. Voters rejected a gas tax that would have increased the tax from 17 cents to 27 cents per gallon. The money would have gone toward fixing roads.