374                              Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 282

dents residing therein, then said Commission shall cause plats of
such area to be made under the supervision of its chief engineer
showing the [proposed water and/or sewerage system,] outlines of
said district and the location or locations of the proposed improve-
ments, as precisely as possible, one copy of which plat shall be filed in
the office of the Commission, one in the office of the County Com-
missioners and one in a plat book indexed "Wicomico County [Sewer
and Water] Urban Services Commission" in the office where the
Land Records of Wicomico County are kept, and upon the filing of
said plat and the approval thereof by the County Commissioners of
said County and the Commission, such [sanitary] district or districts
shown on said plat shall be and the same is hereby designated and
constituted for the purpose of this sub-title to be a separate
[sanitary] district and shall be given by the Commission a distinctive
name and shall be subject to all of the provisions of this sub-title, and
the filing of said plat shall constitute legal notice to the public of
such action of the Commission. For the purpose of providing for the
organization and preliminary expenses of any newly constituted
[sanitary] district or districts, the County Commissioners shall
furnish the Commission a sum not exceeding Twenty-five Thousand
Dollars ($25,000.00) which shall be repaid out of the first bond issue
or income of the particular district.

424. (a) Whenever [fifteen (15)] twenty (20) property owners
residing in any locality in Wicomico County or if there are not
[fifteen (15)] twenty (20) property owners in such locality, then
twenty-five per cent (25%) of the owners; therein shall petition the
Commission to have said locality (the boundaries whereof shall be
definitely stated in said petition) constituted as a new [sanitary]
district, the Commission, if it approves, shall cause to be made a
preliminary engineering survey of the project to determine the
feasibility and probable cost of providing such area with [water and
sewer] the urban service or services requested in said petition. The
Commission shall prepare without cost to the petitioners a prelim-
inary estimate to determine the approximate cost of providing such
facilities. The Commission will also submit an estimate of the cost
of making surveys and preparing a complete engineering and finan-
cial report which shall include the estimated assessed property valu-
ation as fixed for County taxation purposes within the locality
involved, which estimated assessed valuation shall be furnished to
the Commission by the County Commissioners. Whenever such pre-
liminary estimates are completed the Commission shall give notice
by publication in one or more newspapers published within the
County once a week for three (3) successive weeks and by handbills
posted and circulated in the locality where said district is proposed,
which notice shall specify the proposed district together with the
time and place of the hearing to be held, at which hearing those
present shall be given the probable cost of providing such area with
[water and sewer] the urban service or services requested in said
petition as shown by the preliminary survey and the probable cost
of the preparation of the complete engineering and financial report
incident thereto. If the estimated cost of the proposed facilities, in-
cluding the cost of the engineering and financial report incident
thereto together with the unamortized balance of the cost of all
facilities previously installed by the Commission in the area involved
shall exceed fifteen per cent (15%) of the assessed property value
as fixed for county taxation purposes in said area or locality or if