774 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 343

road or lane, or any county road, street or lane, within the said
special taxing area which has been or which may hereafter be
acquired and opened for public use and to lay sidewalks and
curbs thereon, and, subject to the approval of the Board of
County Commissioners of Montgomery County and after due
publication of cost thereof, to assess the cost of said grading,
paving, macadamizing, laying sidewalks and curbs, or other-
wise improving, against the property abutting on that portion
of the said street, road, lane or sidewalk so improved, in pro-
portion to the frontage of said abutting property on the same;
provided the consent to the proposed improvements of the own-
ers of two-thirds of said abutting property be first had and
obtained. A tax so assessed as provided in this section, shall
be payable to the County Treasurer for said county in not more
than three annual instalments as nearly equal as may be, the
first instalment thereof to become due and payable the first
day of July, next succeeding the making of such special assess-
ment as herein elsewhere provided and to be collected as county
taxes in said county are collected and shall be subject to inter-
est from said first day of July until paid at the rate of 6% per
annum. Each annual instalment shall become a lien against
such abutting property and such instalment not paid by the
first day of January following its becoming due, shall be sub-
ject to the same penalties and shall be collected in the same
manner as provided for the collection of unpaid county taxes
in said county. All taxes assessed as provided in this section
shall be paid over by the Treasurer of said county to the Treas-
urer of the "Friendship Heights Citizens' Committee," who
shall devote such funds to the exclusive purpose of paving for
special improvements herein provided for or any indebtedness
which may be incurred therefor.

Said Friendship Heights Citizens' Committee shall have the
power to pave, grade, macadamize or otherwise improve said
streets, roads, lanes, or sidewalks within the taxable area; pro-
vided that before any contract for work shall be entered into,
or any obligation with respect thereto incurred, notice shall be
given to the owners and others of record interested in said abut-
ting property and an opportunity to be heard, such hearing to
be before said Friendship Heights Citizens' Committee who
shall decide the matters properly brought before them. Any
party affected by the final decision of said Citizens' Commit-
tee made after such hearing, shall have the right to appeal
therefrom within ten days to the Circuit Court of Montgomery
County; and provided further that upon the petition of the