Elon’s Town Council approved several local measures at its Sept. 28 meeting, finalizing items first taken up during its Sept. 8 meeting.
Old Business
The council passed a Land Management Ordinance previously discussed during its meeting earlier this month.
The council also passed new parking measures, including no parking on either side and within 50 feet of the Courtland Drive intersection.
The council unanimously approved an ordinance to clean up its animal control ordinance. The updated ordinance includes a key provision, which grants police officers and animal control officials the discretion to issue criminal charges instead of civil citations.
Ordinances and Resolution
The county has provided a revised operating agreement for 911 dispatch services, which outlines call routing, record management and operational responsibilities. After review and approval by both the town's transactional attorney and accountant, a resolution was introduced to authorize the town manager to execute the interlocal agreement. The council passed the resolution unanimously.
The council also passed an ordinance approving a complete rewrite of Chapter 17, Article 3 of the Code of Ordinances to clarify regulations for food trucks, pushcarts, peddlers and itinerant merchants. The amendment resolves conflicts with the LMO, avoids potential downzoning issues, recognizes special event processes and adds clear penalties, including Class 3 misdemeanors and civil penalties for non-compliance.
The council passed a budget amendment, approving $3,000 to safely remove a large, dead standing pine tree in Magnolia Cemetery. The unbudgeted expense addresses a safety liability to prevent potential storm damage to nearby headstones and gravesites.
New Business
The council deferred action on a resolution supporting the establishment of a countywide Alamance County Rescue Service District, moving the item to the next meeting's agenda. The proposed resolution would express support for creating a dedicated tax-based funding district to secure long-term operational, equipment and staffing needs for the Alamance County Rescue Unit.
Reports
Elon Mayor Emily Sharpe said that ahead of The Root and Mediterranean Deli closing, she has been able to talk one-on-one with downtown Elon businesses and is happy to bring it up in a future meeting.
“In light of the two businesses announcing closures, I did reach out to all of our business owners for whom we had contacts,” Sharpe said. “So I've been meeting with them one-on-one, and I plan to share anonymously all of the things that I have learned from them with the Downtown Advisory Board.”