We’ve often commented on the town of Elon’s proclivity for lots of spending and high taxes.
We’ve been surprised that residents haven’t revolted over the excess taxation that current and previous elected officials have imposed on them.
So we want to doff our hat in praise that, for once, they at least appear to be moving in a positive direction by reining in their town manager’s initial proposal for a property tax rate increase.
Elon town manager Richard Roedner was the first local municipal leader to put forward a 2025-2026 budget, which he did about three weeks ago.
We were surprised by his suggestion that the town should raise taxes, again, this year. Of course, his 1½-cent property tax hike follows years of other increases – and the refusal to adopt a revenue neutral rate back in 2023.
Residents in Elon and elsewhere lobbied their local (municipal and county) governments to stick as closely as possible to a revenue neutral tax rate after the house values escalated dramatically during the last property revaluation in 2023.
Elon’s town council plowed ahead with an increase 14 percent above anything remotely “revenue neutral” in 2023.
And it kept that high rate in effect for the current fiscal year.
Roedner wanted to boost it another 4 percent in 2025-2026.
As council members began to grouse about the increase – apparently relaying concerns from disgruntled taxpayers – council members showed a little creativity in coming up with ideas for trimming back the spending increases Roedner had built into his proposed budget.
But lestcouncil members show too much independence, it was Roedner himself who then volunteered a few nips and tucks that could bring overall spending in his budget plan, and consequently to bring the property taxes to finance it, down a bit.
It was a good beginning, and we hope other municipalities will take note.
We noticed, for instance, that county commissioners gave county manager Heidi York some pretty clear indications this week that they, too, will not countenance a property tax hike – for what would be the third year in a row.
Sometimes it takes a while for public officials to get the message(s) from the people they ostensibly serve, so we encourage residents to continue to make their voices heard in anticipation of other municipal budget presentations, as well as the big one for county government.
