Elon is launching two new downtown sponsorship programs, one allowing residents or businesses to sponsor an event and the second allowing sponsors to pay an annual fee. Elon Town Council unanimously approved this fundraising program on Feb. 11 at its council meeting.
The downtown Elon event sponsorship opportunities have four levels of sponsorship, ranging from a platinum sponsorship costing $3,500, a gold sponsorship costing $2,500, a silver sponsorship costing $1,500 and a bronze sponsorship costing $500. These sponsorship levels will be for individual events, but for a series with multiple occurrences the sponsorship will last for individual occurrence.
Only one platinum sponsorship is available for each event in order to provide more visibility to the sponsor. Council member Monti Allison, who approved this sponsorship but did not think the platinum sponsorship should be capped.
“Why would you cap that off?” Allison said.
So far, Jill Weston, downtown development director, said so far one sponsor has committed to being a platinum sponsor at an event. Mayor Emily Sharpe said if additional residents were looking to make more donations to the town, they would find a way to include them in a different way — but so far there has not been competition for platinum spots.
“At this point, we don’t really don't have anyone who is showing up with cash,” Sharpe said.
The other sponsorship program will be an annual fee with four levels of sponsorship as well, Weston said. Donors for this program will then have their names displayed on a downtown art installation. Weston said the downtown board’s plan is to have each name displayed on a leaf which will all form the shape of a tree and will be placed near the downtown plaza.
The town of Elon accepted the expenditure for a new ladder truck for the Elon Fire Department. Funding for this new ladder truck, expected in February, had been approved and is now moving accounts. The council had approved this funding in an earlier meeting. Elon Fire Department’s old ladder truck will be sold and replaced with the new one. The truck is expected to be finished on Feb. 19 and inspected further. If passed inspection, the ladder truck will be driven down to Elon weeks after, town manager Rich Roedner said.
After further discussion, council member Quinn Ray said he finds this use of money justifiable.
“Sounds like we're using our taxpayers money wisely,” Ray said.
As the meeting was coming to an end, council member Stephanie Bourland made mention of an earlier meeting of the town’s Diversity, Equity and Belonging group. Bourland told the group that amid diversity, equity and inclusion rollbacks, they want to continue educational efforts regarding DEI.