Howard County                                   2755

properties in the Metropolitan District, at such time or times as they are
connected to, or apply for the connection to, a sewerage system constructed
or to be constructed by the Department of Public Works, an assessment
to pay a portion of the cost of the facilities in such system, which serve
or will serve all properties connected therewith, including sewerage treat-
ment plants, disposal fields, lagoons, pumping stations and interceptor
sewers. Said assessment shall be known as an assessment in aid of con-
struction, 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 be-
yond the boundaries of the Metropolitan District or within or beyond the
boundaries of Howard County. The County Council shall DIRECTOR OF
PUBLIC WORKS MAY adopt an assessment, uniform in amount as to all
properties connected, or it may adopt and from time to time alter or amend,
a variable assessment determined, as to each property on the basis of
intensity of use or volume of sewage generated. In adopting any such
system of variable assessments, the County Council DIRECTOR OF
PUBLIC WORKS 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 property on the basis of one
sewage unit or any multiple thereof, depending upon intensity or volume
of use as aforesaid. An assessment in aid of construction shall be imposed
only once with respect to each property and shall be collected by the
Director of Finance in a lump sum at the time above mentioned, except
that the Director of Public Works may authorize the collection in install-
ments not to exceed a period of three (3) years, with interest and service
charge. All receipts from assessments in aid of construction shall be
credited by the Director of Finance 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 Metropolitan District for such purpose, to the end that the
special benefit assessments and ad valorem taxes imposed and levied there-
for pursuant to this subtitle may be correspondingly reduced; provided,
however, that the imposition of any such assessments in aid of construction
may be terminated by the County Council 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 prop-
erties connected with such sewerage system.

20.312—Taxing Powers; Collection of Funds

For the purpose of retiring the bonds authorized to be issued and of
paying the interest thereon, and for the payment of salaries and other
expenses of the Department of Public Works RELATED TO WATER
AND SEWER SYSTEMS, the County Council shall cause to be levied,
against all assessable property within said Metropolitan District for which
said bonds have been issued annually so long as any of said bonds are
outstanding and not paid, a tax sufficient to provide such sums, as the
County Council may deem sufficient and necessary, in conjunction with any
amounts as the Director of Public Works may estimate that he will be
able to collect out of the benefit assessments, as provided in Section 20.309
therefor levied, but not yet paid and any other funds then available for
the purpose to meet the interest on said bonds as it becomes due and to
pay the principal thereof as the bonds mature, and the said salaries and
expenses as aforesaid, and said tax shall be determined, levied, collected
and paid over. The County Council shall determine in the manner above
prescribed the amount which it deems necessary to be raised during the
ensuing year for the payment of interest and principal of all serial bonds