1528 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 676

for every connection such land shall become liable to a front
foot assessment for such reasonable frontage, not exceeding
three hundred feet, as may be determind by said Commission,
and shall be immediately assessed at the rate of asessment deter-
mined by said Commission for agricultural land. Front foot
benefit charges for water supply and sewerage construction
shall be as nearly uniform as is reasonably practical for each
class or sub-class of property throughout each Sanitary District
for any one year and no benefit charge once levied, shall be
increased; provided, however, that whenever the Commission
acquires an existing system other than a municipal system,
the construction of which has been added in whole or in part
to the purchase price of land or lots abutting upon said system
and which contribution the Commission has determined to be a
factor in the cost to the Commission of such system, the 'Com-
mission may, in its discretion, levy a front foot assessment less
than the uniform front foot assessment levied in the remainder
of the District in which said system is located. The amount
of the charge per front foot for each class of property for both
water main and sewer may be reduced from time to time by the
Commission in its discretion, if costs and conditions are deemed
by it to justify such reduction. Said benefit charge shall be
paid annually beginning in the year such construction is begun,
by all properties located as above specified, for a period of
years co-extensive with the period of maturity of the bonds
out of the proceeds of which such construction was done; pro-
vided, however, that any property owner, whose property is
classified as business or industrial first class, or sub-division
first class, may at his or her option, at any time during the
bond period, extinguish the charge thereon by the payment in
cash in one sum of a just proportion of the estimated e^st of
the whole project of which the construction abutting upon his
or her property is a part, said proportion to be determined by
the Commission, in its discretion, after -considering' the number
of front feet for which he or she is assessed at first class rates
in comparison with the total number of front feet assessed at
first class rates for the construction of said whole project, and
taking account also of any annual payments that may have
already been made thereon; and the Commission's determina-
tion as to the amount to be so paid for extinguishment of
said charge to be final. The Commission in estimating said
cost for the purpose of extinguishment may add thereto a
reasonable margin to protect itself against possible changes
in the cost of construction and loss of interest. All sums re-
ceived under such plan of extinguishment shall be preserved
intact by said Commission less the payment of the proportion
of interest and Sinking Fund properly chargeable to the amount