The Elon Town Council held public hearings for the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year, the proposed fire tax increase and a permit request for an accessory dwelling unit during its meeting May 13. During the public hearings for the proposed budget and proposed fire tax increase, there were no members of the public who wished to comment.

Foster Drive accessory dwelling unit

The council held a quasi-judicial public hearing on a special use permit for an accessory dwelling unit that would be built behind 212 Foster Drive, which is located in the neighborhood surrounding the university’s south campus.

The proposal was made by Erzine Brothers LLC, who own the current property.The unit would be located above a garage and is proposed to be 768 square feet.

The proposal meets the town of Elon’s Land Management Ordinance requirements, however some council members expressed concern about the dwelling unit.

Mayor Emily Sharpe said she had some concerns about the impact this unit would have on the quality of life of neighboring homeowners, and the fact that the property owners often rent to students.

“Multiple properties owned by this property owner do not conform with our laws and ordinances, or the renters do not conform with our laws and ordinances,” Sharpe said.

The council is scheduled to vote on the permit request during its meeting May 27.

Budget public hearing

Town Manager Rich Roedner presented the council with several graphs illustrating the different ways in which the proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year would be spent, as well as where the revenue for the budget is sourced from.

According to Roedner, 32.79% of the general fund revenue comes from sales tax.

Roedner said this presents a structural issue with the budget because of the volatility of sales tax as a revenue source.

“Economy is good, revenue goes up. Economy is bad, revenue could go down just as fast,” Roedner said.

The council hopes to approve a budget that would not increase taxes for Elon community members, which is in contrast to Roedner’s original draft of the budget which would increase property taxes from $0.35 to $0.365.

The council is scheduled to vote on the budget June 10.

Fire tax increase

As part of the proposed budget, the fire tax for the town of Elon could also increase from $0.0865 to $0.10 in the 2026 fiscal year. 

According to Fire Chief Landon Massey, the increase will help to fund new equipment for the fire department as well as the addition of two new firefighters.

The council unanimously voted to endorse the change to the fire tax for the 2026 fiscal year.

Skate park committee presentation

Elon citizen Peter Ustach, a member of the skate park committee, presented the town council with the committee’s progress on funding, as well as designs for the proposed skate park.

According to Ustach, the committee has received $334,000 in funding through fundraising and donations. The committee’s goal is to raise a total of $666,075 to fund the skate park. 

The committee has applied for a North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant of $332,075. The fund provides matching grants to local governments to assist with parks and recreation projects. 

The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority will meet Aug. 22 to select grant recipients, and the committee plans to host a watch party during the event.

Sustainability committee

The town council appointed Audrey Nott and Bryan Kennedy to the sustainability committee for a term of three years that will end in 2028.

Nott is a junior at Elon University. She is majoring in environmental and sustainability studies and currently serves as the outreach intern for the university’s Office of Sustainability.

Bryan Kennedy has been a member of the Elon community for nine years and has experience working as a deep sea marine biologist.

The next town council meeting will be held on May 27.