Construction of an 8,500-square-foot family entertainment center at Tri-City Cinema 8 in Quinnesec is slated for completion in June. Thomas Theater Group’s project was part of $6.5 million in building permits issued in 2025 for work in Breitung Township. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)

QUINNESEC — Breitung Township’s taxable value increased by $16 million in 2025, which will result in an estimated property tax revenue increase of $70,000, according to Township Assessor Justin Murawski.

“We’re on an upward trend in terms of value,” Murawski told the township board Monday. “People are still building houses — nice houses.”

The $70,000 increase in revenue is up from $45,000 in 2024, he noted.

The township’s assessed value rose by $53 million in 2025, an increase of 13%. The total taxable value stands at $326 million, an increase of 5.4% from a year ago.

The township’s increase in taxable value is slightly higher than the 4.7% increase reported this year for Dickinson County.

For homeowners, unless an addition is built or there’s a transfer in ownership, a higher assessment doesn’t necessarily hike taxable value by a corresponding amount. Under state law, a cap is placed on taxable value. The Michigan State Tax Commission inflation rate cap for taxable valuation in 2025 was 3.1%. For 2026 it’s 2.7%.

Murawski said building permits issued through October of 2025 totaled nearly $6.5 million in the township, up by more than $2 million from 2024. The list includes about a dozen new homes, as well an addition at Thomas Theater Group’s Tri-City Cinema on U.S. 2.

Although about 75% of the township’s taxable value is residential, the top taxable values are for American Transmission Co., Billerud Quinnesec, We Energies and Upper Michigan Energy Resources Corp., according to Murawski’s annual report.

Murawski noted that 2025 saw 89 property tax exemptions for disabled veterans, up from 73 the previous year.

Supervisor Denny Olson said he fully supports the veterans exemptions, but added the township’s lost revenues should be reimbursed by the state.

Both the Michigan Townships Association and the Michigan Association of Counties have long urged lawmakers to institute a reimbursement mechanism for the Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemption enacted in 2013. Lawmakers have also moved to expand the expansion without reimbursement, which places costs on local taxpayers or forces reductions in services, according to MAC.

During 2025, Breitung Township’s assessing department conducted more than 500 on-site property inspections and completed its annual personal property canvas, Murawski stated in his report.

“State guidelines recommend inspection of approximately 20 percent of taxable parcels annually, or about 862 parcels,” he continued. “While this level has not been fully achieved, inspection activity continues to increase as workload and staffing capacity allow.”

The assessor said the department’s goals include completing a full commercial property reappraisal; updating records for mobile home parks, campgrounds, resorts, and other special-use properties; reviewing valuation methods for large recreational properties; and conducting a residential house classification study to improve consistency and accuracy.

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.