J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                           1085

shall be a first lien against said property. The sewer service charge
shall be made on whatever reasonable basis the Commission selects
and may be collected on an annual, semi-annual or quarterly basts.
Neither the dates of collection nor the intervals between such dates
need be uniform throughout a sanitary district. If any bill for such
sewer service charge remains unpaid for sixty days after being sent
by the Commission, it shall be collectible from the owner of the prop-
erty served in the same manner as other debts are collectible in the
county or counties in which the sanitary district or sanitary districts
lie, and shall be a first lien against said property.

664.    The Commission is authorized and empowered to purchase
or acquire by gift any existing water [,] or sewerage [or drainage]
systems in or adjacent to [its District] a sanitary district which in
its judgment are desirable or necessary for the purpose of providing
adequate water or sewerage service or both for the residents of the
area served by said District.

665.    Whenever said Commission shall have extended [its] a Dis-
trict's water [supply] or sewerage system up to and is ready to con-
nect with any municipally owned or privately owned water [supply]
or sewerage system, and it deems it advisable and proper for the
adequate operation of the system under the District's jurisdiction to
take over the said water or sewerage system, it may purchase the
same upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon, but
shall have no right of condemnation with respect thereto, but before
any part of the purchase price is paid, other than a nominal sum of
money to bind the agreement, it shall be the duty of the vendor or
agent to furnish a statement to said Commission setting forth all
names and addresses of persons having any interest or claims against
said property whatsoever, which shall be verified by an oath in writ-
ing. Thereupon it shall be the duty of said Commission to notify
personally or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested,
all persons having any interest whatsoever in said property, and in
addition thereto the Commission shall give three weeks' notice of
its intention to purchase said property in a newspaper or newspapers
published within said County where the property is located, and each
person having any claim whatsoever against said property shall file
his, or her, or its claim with said Commission on or before the ex-
piration date mentioned in said notice, at which time any and all
persons will be heard and their rights determined by the Commis-
sion, which said hearing shall be final. From and after payment to
the proper parties of the agreed purchase price, or other amounts
found to be due by the Commission as aforesaid, the Commission shall
be authorized to take possession of, maintain and operate said sys-
tem, whether private or municipal, as part of its general system, and
from the date of such payment all properties along the line of any
water main or sewer of the system as acquired shall stand in the same
relation, bear the same benefit assessment (subject to the provisions
of Section 657 of this sub-title), and be subject to the same regula-
tions and penalties as though the system so acquired had been con-
structed and put into operation by the Commission under the pro-
visions of this sub-title; provided, however, that no building or
premises actually connected in an adequate manner with the said
acquired system at the time of its purchase shall be required to pay
any connection charge. Whenever there is in existence a privately
owned water [supply] or sewerage system which in the judgment of
the Commission is unfit, as a whole or in part, for incorporation with