170 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 117

waived and forfeited all rights and benefits under the
aforegoing provisions of this section.

VI
STREETS AND SIDEWALKS

56. The City of Hagerstown is hereby vested with
authority to make, grade, pave, improve and maintain all
streets, highways, lanes and alleys, now or hereafter con-
demned, ceded or opened as public thoroughfares; the
Council shall provide by special ordinance for new con-
struction, including repaving, and said ordinance may pro-
vide for assessing the costs of any such work, in whole or
in part, pro rata, upon all the property binding upon any
such thoroughfare, the said assessments to be collected
as City taxes are collected; provided, however, that the
Council may provide by general ordinance for new con-
struction, including repaving of any street whenever the
owners of a majority of the front feet abutting on such
street shall apply for the same to the Council.

57. The Council is hereby authorized to require, by
special or general ordinance, that, prior to the making or
improving of any street or alley, public notice shall be
given in at least one newspaper published in said City and
by placards put up along said street, setting forth that
thirty days after the date of said notice the work of said
making and improving said street or alley will begin;
said ordinance may also provide that all public service cor-
porations and abutting property owners desiring to lay
sewer, gas, water mains, conduits, or connections must
do so within the period of notice, and that no corporation
or person shall further disturb bed of such street for a
period of five years; and the Council may provide appro-
priate penalties for violations of its ordinance.

58. The Council may levy a tax rate for purposes of
paying all or the City's share of the costs of street con-
struction or improvement; provided that the levy shall
be made only once a year, at the time of the annual levy
of taxes by the Council, and the streets levy shall be
included in the general levy.

59. All grading, paving, * repairing and improving of
the sidewalks, curbs and gutter, or any of them, along
with the public thoroughfares of Hagerstown shall be per-
formed either by the City of Hagerstown or by the abut-
ting property owner when directed by the Council, and