1290                             Laws of Maryland                       [Ch. 748

County", subtitle "Metropolitan Commission", said new Section to
be designated Section 132A, to follow immediately after Section 132
of the 1957 Edition of said Code, and to read as follows:

132A. Assessments in Aid of Construction.

In order to finance in part the construction of sewerage systems
on a pay-as-you-go basis, the Commission may impose upon, and col-
lect from, all properties in a subdistrict, at such time or times as
they are connected to, or apply for a connection to, a sewerage sys-
tem constructed or to be constructed by the Commission, an assess-
ment to pay a portion of the cost of the facilities in such system,
which serve or will serve all properties connected therewith, includ-
ing sewage treatment plants, disposal fields, lagoons, pumping sta-
tions and interceptor sewers. Said assessment shall be known as
an assessment in aid of construction and may be imposed to pay
in part the cost of any of the above described facilities irrespective
of whether they are located within or beyond the boundaries of a
subdistrict or within or beyond the boundaries of Howard County.
The Commission may adopt an assessment, uniform in amount as to
all properties in a subdistrict, or it may adopt, and from time to
time alter or amend, a variable assessment determined, as to each
property in a subdistrict, on the basis of intensity of use or volume
of sewage generated. In adopting any such system of variable
assessments, the Commission shall first fix a basic measure of use,
to be known as a sewage unit, shall then fix a uniform charge for
such sewage unit, and shall determine the assessment for each prop-
erty on the basis of one sewage unit or any multiple thereof, de-
pending upon intensity or volume of use as aforesaid. An assess-
ment in aid of construction shall be imposed only once with respect
to each property and shall be collected by the Commission in a lump
sum at the time above mentioned. All receipts from assessments in
aid of construction shall be credited by the Commission to a special
construction account established on its books and said receipts shall
be used only for payments on account of the cost of the facilities
above described or to liquidate bonds issued by the Commission for
such purpose, to the end that the special benefit assessments and
ad valorem taxes imposed and levied therefor pursuant to this sub-
title may be correspondingly reduced; provided, however, that the
imposition of any such assessments in aid of construction may be
terminated by the Commission whenever, in its judgment, it shall
determine that the burden of paying a portion of the cost of the
facilities above described has been equitably distributed among all
properties connected with such sewerage system.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take effect
June 1, 1961.

Approved May 3, 1961.