Since coming to Two Rivers, the City Manager has recognized one of the biggest issues facing residents.
City Manager Kyle Kordell recently spoke with SeehaferNews.com to address the state of property assessments in Two Rivers.
Kordell tells us that many residents have voiced their frustrations about their assessments from 2024, the first time properties were assessed in nearly two decades.
He also noted that he understands the frustration and effects these assessed values can have.
“This is about real life, people’s homes and tight monthly budgets,” he said. “I don’t come from a wealthy family. I grew up in a double-wide trailer with a single mom in a small town in Michigan. So I do understand struggle and grit and barely making it by.”
One reason for these increases is that Kordell is the frequency with which assessments are made.
“One important piece of context for local property values is how often assessments are updated. When communities go too long, like in Two Rivers’ case, almost two decades between these full reevaluations, you tend to get bigger jumps all at once,” Kordell explained.
He also mentioned how municipalities can avoid these stark jumps as well.
“Now more regular updates like every three to four years would help keep values closer to market reality and avoid those sharp swings,” Kordell told us.
He added, “Accountability is important here, too. It’s good practice to competitively select new assessment firms every five or six years, so there are fresh eyes and strong accountability. That would help build confidence in the community that the system is working and fair.”
While understanding the difficulties property assessments can have, Kordell ensured transparency in the process moving forward.
“My commitment as your new city manager is to bring this conversation into the open,” he explained. “In early 2026, we’ll have a public discussion about what changes are needed to move toward more regular, more frequent, and more balanced local property assessments.”
Those with questions or concerns regarding their 2024 property value assessments in Two Rivers are encouraged to contact City Manager Kordell’s office by calling 920-793-5532.
