The town of Elon will see a three cent tax hike this upcoming fiscal year. The Board of Aldermen passed a $10.7 million budget on Tuesday, which was introduced by Elon Town Manager Richard White and will increase the tax rate from 42 cents per $100 valuation to 45 cents.
The tax increase, according to White, will pay for six new positions, including the conversion of a position with the Recreation and Parks department from part time to full time, new equipment for town departments, and a major town project.
The budget includes the addition of three firefighters and two police officers, spending $64,000 on an excavator and trailer for the Public Works Department, $138,000 for three police vehicles and $515,000 on water projects.
In justifying the tax increase, White cites Alamance county’s 15.4 percent population growth over the next few decades, saying that the tax increase is necessary to provide for increased costs, growth and demands, specifically that in the public safety sector. The population growth in Alamance County is the largest increase in the Triad.
“To help guide town growth, the Board of Alderman has adopted a strategic plan framework that includes a vision statement, a mission statement, and goals and objects that will provide direction and prioritization for both short- and long-term decisions among competing demands for capital investment, services, facilities, and human resources to assure that the town is well-positions to respond to this potential growth,” White said.
The new budget will take affect beginning the new fiscal year on July 1.