According to Stockton Town Supervisor Dave Wilson, the Seymour Library Board of Directors, which owns the building where the town hall is located, is increasing its rent from $875 to $1,000 a month.

In addition, the town will be paying $300 a month for electricity to the library, as well as a portion to National Grid, should they go over their allotted use.

Stockton officials have been debating the issue of rent and electric costs this fall before they formally adopted their budget.

“We were kind of over a barrel. We worked out a couple of things, but we signed it (lease),” Wilson said in a phone interview.

The Mary E. Seymour Memorial Free Library had solar panels installed around four years ago to generate electricity for the library as well as the town hall. The library is now charging the town $300 a month for electricity costs.

Wilson’s objections were that the town is now paying the library Board of Directors electricity as well as rent.

But Stephanie Banaszak, the library board president, argues that what the library is charging the town is less than what it was paying National Grid.

“We’re trying to make it a real fair deal for everyone. The town is getting something out of this and the library is getting something out of this. It actually will reduce their electric bills,” she said.

She does agree that the town may still need to pay an additional electric bill if they use a lot of electricity, however if they are able to limit their usage, they won’t get a bill from National Grid.

Wilson did agree that it appears they will spend less on electricity.

“The electric bill in the winter time used to run $400, $425. … Usually if we get a bill now it’s $75, $50, maybe $100,” he said.

If something happens to the solar panels and they can’t produce electricity, Wilson said the town doesn’t have to pay the library anything.

Banaszak said the solar panels were installed in late 2021. This is the first time the library is officially charging money from the town for the electricity.

“Basically, we’re their providers for electricity instead of National Grid,” she said.

Banaszak said before this year, the library hadn’t increased rent since 2017.

She said the rent helps them run the libraries in both Stockton and Cassadaga.

With the increase in rent, as well as other costs in the highway department and needed equipment, Wilson said the tax rate for 2026 went up around 2% for the town.