Holley hears from residents about high electric bills, taxes

Photo by Tom Rivers: Mike Vendetti tells the Holley Village Board on Tuesday that a spike in electric bills plus high village taxes is hard on everybody in the village, including landlords who can’t easily pass on the bigger costs to tenants.

HOLLEY – Cheap electricity has long been one of the big pluses of the Village of Holley, which has its own department offering municipal electricity.

But those bills have skyrocketed since last month and many residents have expressed their concern to the Village Board and village office.

“No doubt, each one of us who opened our recent bill, got quite the shock,” Mayor Mark Bower said in a message to village residents last month. “To say that the office has received calls from angry, upset, confused electric customers is an understatement.”

He expects the rates will be high until the winter weather eases, with higher bills expected in March and April.

Bower said Holley gets additional electricity during intense usage from three sources – New York Power Authority, New York Municipal Power Authority and National Grid, and that comes at higher costs than the municipal rates.

During times of high electric usage, such as the recent bitter cold temperatures, the purchase power agreement rates have soared, and not only in Holley. Bower said his February bill was nearly $500 with $311.55 due to the purchase power agreement charges.

One local landlord, Mike Vendetti, attended Tuesday’s Village Board to share his concerns about the rising costs of living in Holley. In addition to the big jump in electric bills, Holley village taxes increased 10 percent in the 2025-26 budget.

Vendetti said the landlords can’t simply pass the higher costs on to tenants.

“We can’t just raise rents or we’re going to chase people right ut of this village,” he said.

The tax levy went from $1,078,527 in 2024-25 to $1,186,380 in the current budget, a $107,853 increase. The village’s tax rate is currently $19.54 per $1,000 of assessed property.

The Village Board needs to adopt a new budget for 2026-27 by April 30.

Bower said he is sympathetic to the higher costs on village taxpayers and residents.

“I hear your message,” he said to Vendetti.

Bower said the village has been able to secure grants for a new playground, and also for upgrades to a pavilion and the canal trail without burdening local taxpayers.