328                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 139

pose of assessing benefits shall divide all properties binding upon a
street, road, lane, alley or right of way, in which a water pipe or
sanitary sewer is to be laid, into four classes, namely: Agricultural,
small acreage, industrial or business, and subdivision property, and
the commission may subdivide each of said classes in such manner
as it may deem to be in the public interest.

(b)  Whenever any water supply or sewerage project in any sani-
tary district or sanitary districts shall have been completed by
March 31st, in any one year, regardless of when said construction
was commenced, then the said commission shall fix and levy a bene-
fit charge as of the first day of July of the year in which the project
was completed upon said water main or sewer, in accordance with
the classification or subdivision thereof, and shall in writing, notify
all owners of said properties into which class and subdivision their
respective properties fall and the charge determined upon, naming
also in said notice a time and place, when and at which time said
owner will be heard. Such notice may be mailed to the last known
address of the owner, or served in person upon any adult occupying
the premises or in case of a vacant or unimproved property posted
upon the premises.

(c)  The classification of and the benefit assessed against any
property as made by the commission shall be final, subject only to
revision at said hearing. The commission may change the classifi-
cation or property from time to time as said properties change in
the uses to which they are put. Said benefits shall be levied for both
water supply and sewerage construction and shall be based for each
class of property upon the number of front feet abutting upon the
street, lane, road, alley or right of way in which the water pipe or
sewer is placed; provided, however, that in the case of any irregular
shaped lot abutting upon a road, street, lane, alley or right of way
in which there is or is being constructed a water main or sewer at
any point, said lot shall be assessed for such frontage as the com-
mission may determine to be reasonable and fair; and provided
further that no lot in a subdivision property shall be assessed on
more than one side, unless said lot abuts upon two parallel streets,
that corner lots may be averaged and assessed upon such frontage
as the commission may deem reasonable and fair, and that all lots
in this class shall be assessed even though a water main or sewer
may not extend along the full length of any boundary; and provided
further, that no land so classified as agricultural by this commission
shall be assessed a front-foot benefit when said agricultural land
has constructed through it or in front of it a sewer or water main,
until such time as the water or sewer connection is made, and when
so made and for every connection such land shall become liable to a
front-foot assessment for such reasonable frontage not exceeding
three hundred (300) feet, as may be determined by said commission,
and shall be immediately assessed at the rate of assessment deter-
mined by said commission for agricultural land. Front-foot benefit
charges for water supply and sewerage construction shall be as
nearly uniform as is reasonable and practical for each class or sub-
class of property throughout each sanitary district for any one year,
provided, however, that whenever the commission acquires an exist-
ing system other than a municipal system, the cost of construction
of which has been added in whole or in part to the purchase price of
land or lots abutting upon said system and which contribution the
commission has determined to be a factor in the cost to the com-