1906                                 MUNICIPAL CHARTERS

The President and Commissioners are authorized and empowered to
pay all or a part of the cost of constructing said water system by the im-
position and collection of special benefit assessments upon all properties
in the Town, whether improved or unimproved, which abut a water line
constructed by the Town. Such assessments may be fixed at a specific
rate per front foot of each property benefitted and may be classified ac-
cording to use, provided that the rate within each classification shall be
uniform. The President and Commissioners may grant complete or partial
exemptions to properties actually in use for religious or charitable pur-
poses and may also provide a limitation on the number of front feet to
be assessed in the case of large parcels of land actually in use for agricul-
ture by the owners thereof. With respect to properties located beyond
the corporate limits of the Town, no water lines shall be constructed un-
less and until the owners of the properties benefitted enter into contracts
with the Town, binding on such owners and their successors to pay the
special benefit assessments imposed on like properties in the Town.

Before finally deciding upon the special benefit assessments to be
imposed, the President and Commissioners shall hold a public hearing
after publication of notice thereof for at least two successive weeks in
a newspaper of general circulation in the Town, and after introduction
of a proposed ordinance setting forth the rates of such special assess-
ments, which shall be duly posted in the Municipal Office and shall be
available for public inspection. The special benefit assessments finally de-
termined upon by the President and Commissioners may not be increased
after their adoption except in cases where the use of a particular property
is changed from one classification to another.

In order to provide for the maintenance and operation of said water
supply and distribution system, the President and Commissioners are au-
thorized and empowered, from time to time, to fix rates or charges for
water consumption calculated to produce sufficient revenue to pay the cost
of such maintenance and operation. Said rates may be measured on a
metered basis, if meters are installed, or on a flat rate basis depending
upon use, or on the number of water outlets on each property, or on such
other equitable and uniform basis as may be most appropriate for the
Town.

In order to provide in whole or in part for the construction of said
water system, the President and Commissioners may accept and receive
grants and contributions from any public or private source and, in addi-
tion, may borrow money and evidence the same by the issuance of the
bonds of the Town pursuant to the authority of Sections 31 to 39, in-
clusive, of Article 23A of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition,
as amended). The President and Commissioners shall provide for the
payment of the principal of and interest on said bonds from revenue
derived from special benefit