A published notice from the North Fort Worth Water Control and Improvement District No. 1, proposing a tax rate that went from zero to 60 cents, caught the attention of many Wise County taxpayers this week.

Wise County Chief Appraiser Mickey Hand said the water district is located in the far southeast corner of Wise County, near the intersection of Texas 114 and County Line Road, east of Rhome. The district covers an area near the Shale Creek subdivision that Hand said includes 93 houses and 74 vacant lots. Most of the homes in Shale Creek are not included in the district, Hand said.

“They had a tax rate of $1 in 2008, but it has been zero since then until this year,” Hand said.

The total taxable value in the district is $14.5 million including $2.5 million in mineral values and $1.5 in agriculture values.