Holley holds hearing today on tentative village budget with 9.9% tax increase

HOLLEY – The Village Board will hold a public hearing today at 5:30 p.m. on a tentative $3.6 million village budget that would increase taxes by 9.9 percent. The hearing will be in the village office in the old Holley High School.

This budget proposal follows the 2025-26 budget that raised taxes by 10.0 percent. Over two years, the budgets would represent a 20.9 tax increase or another $225,304 in the tax levy to $1,303,831.

The tax rate in the tentative budget is $21.51 per $1,000 of assessed property, which is up from the $19.54 rate for 2025-26.

The budget was brought up briefly during the monthly Village Board meeting on Tuesday. One resident, Mike Vendetti, said he is concerned about the rising taxes when residents face increases in some many other areas, including a recent jump in their electric bills.

Mayor Mark Bower responded that a village tax increase appears unavoidable.

“We absolutely do not have the revenue,” he said.

The tentative budget shows $3,601,258 in overall spending with $2,165,926 in the general fund, $983,883 in the water fund and $451,448 in the sewer fund.

Within the general fund the tentative budget shows the DPW increasing from $782,267 to $870,855; the Police Department from $406,911 to $453,973; Village Office from $299,789 to $296,729; Code Enforcement from $71,280 to $72,313; Employee Benefits from $136,030 to $199,700; and Debt payments from $75,146 to $72,710.

Here are the tax levies and tax rates in recent village budgets:

• 2026-2027 (tentative) tax levy, $1,303,831; tax rate (tentative), $21.51
• 2025-26 tax levy, $1,186,379; tax rate, $19.54
• 2024-25 tax levy, $1,078,527; tax rate, $17.87