Expenses are rising for TFID, which completed construction on a new water treatment system this year. Photo by Michelle Chance

The price for domestic water could go up for residents living in Thunderbird Farms.

The Thunderbird Farms Improvement District Board will propose tax and fee increases to its customers during a public hearing Thursday at 6 p.m. inside the district’s office located at 10675 N. Brewer Road.

According to a public notice posted by the district in May, “the district is proposing an increase in secondary property taxes of $469,957 for the 2017-2018 fiscal year.”

District Manager Debra Genantonio said the 11.52 percent increase in the district’s secondary property taxes is on customers’ limited property value amount, and not a tax increase on full cash value.

Customers’ basic monthly fee could also increase.

The district is proposing its base rate to rise from $39.90 to $54.90 per month.  Additionally, an existing USDA bond revenue monthly fee of $22 – coupled with the taxes on the amount of water used each month – could result in customers’ water bills increasing to over $80 per month, according to the proposed fee increase outlined in the public notice.

TFID provides water only, not sewage, and residents are on septic tanks.

District customers are paying back a $2.85 million USDA loan, which funded a new facility that includes office space, a new water treatment system and a 500,000-gallon water tank in addition to its other two large tanks. The district also received a $2.45 million grant for the project.

Genantonio said the new water treatment system went online at the end of March and is in compliance with state and federal standards. The district includes 670 lots that have water capability, with 564 of those being active accounts.

The board will make a presentation to customers Thursday evening, and afterward residents can voice their questions and concerns. The board will take a vote on the proposed increases after its call to the public concludes.