376 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 221

person shall have power or authority, in any one year, to con-
tract debts or incur any financial liability on behalf of said
town in excess of the current annual revenues of said town,
except as may be authorized by General, Local or Special Act
of the General Assembly of Maryland.

Sub-section (B) of Section 4. That whenever a petition to
improve any street with concrete or other hard surfaced side-
walks, curbs or gutters, is presented to the town of District
Heights, signed by the owners of record of at least 75 per cent
of the property abutting on the streets to be improved, the
Town of District Heights shall call a public hearing of all in-
terested property owners, and after such hearing, the Town of
District Heights shall have power to provide for the improve-
ment and construction of concrete or other hard surfaced side-
walks, curbs and gutters in any block where there is improved
property, and to assess against the abutting property and
collect from the owners thereof the total cost thereof, includ-
ing engineering and all overhead and including the costs of
radii at corners in case of curbs and gutters and of intersect-
ing sidewalks at corners, the assessment being in proportion
to the number of front feet owned, abutting on the portion of
the street so improved. That such assessments, when made,
shall constitute a tax or lien upon such abutting property
with priority over all liens recorded after the passage of this
Act, and such amounts as are not paid in advance as provided
in the preceding sub-section shall be payable in four equal-
quarterly installments with interest thereon from the date of
assessment at the rate of six percentum per annum, the first
installment shall be due 30 days after the date of assessment,
and succeeding installments every three months thereafter
until paid, and any assessment or part thereof remaining due
and unpaid shall, in addition to said interest, be subject to a
penalty of one-half of one per cent per month, from the
date of default, and shall be enforced and collected as
town taxes are collected by offering the property for sale
for the amount in default, at the next tax sale following
such default. Provided, however, the Town of District Heights
shall give ten days' notice by registered mail addressed to
the last known address of the owners of record of all prop-
erty proposed to be assessed, of the intention to assess the
total cost against the abutting property, which notice shall
state the date such assessment is proposed to be made, and
warning such owners to appear at the time and place stated
in said notices, to show cause, if any there be, why said assess-
ment should not be made as proposed.