Kansas City, Mo ? The new head of the Kansas City Zoo said balancing the budget will be one of the toughest tasks ahead.

As associate director at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Neb., Randy Wisthoff has been instrumental in formulating and overseeing its $19 million budget, which is funded privately and through gate receipts and other revenue.

The Kansas City Zoo, by contrast, receives more than $4 million a year in public subsidy and is experiencing monthly budget deficits.

Wisthoff, who takes over as president, chief executive officer and director of the Kansas City Zoo on Nov. 17, noted that Omaha’s zoo membership was the second-highest in the country, after San Diego.

Wisthoff said he wanted to boost Kansas City Friends of the Zoo membership, which was about 19,000 households this summer.

Lee Simmons, director of the Henry Doorly Zoo, said Wisthoff should help with Kansas City’s budget troubles.

“Randy has a good, solid foundation on what it takes to do a budget and then make it happen,” Simmons said. “We have a habit here. We balance our budget … no matter what it takes. Period.”

The Friends of the Zoo board has embraced the need to make Kansas City’s zoo more comfortable and entertaining, especially for children.

Omaha officials said Wisthoff could help do that as well.

“Sometimes we get a little bit too animal-oriented,” said Danny Morris, one of two senior zoological curators at the Omaha zoo. “And Randy was always there to provide that customer perspective. He would say, ‘You guys have got to remember there’s going to be a little kid walking through here.’ He was always the voice of looking out for the public and for how the visitor is going to feel about something.”