MARVIN MANDEL, Governor

1227

348A.

The County Commissioners of Charles County are
hereby authorized to construct and improve roads and
drainage incident to construction or improvement on or
along private roads after the approval of a petition of
the majority of the property owners whose property abuts
on the road to be constructed or improved requesting that
the roads be taken into the County Road System. In the
exercise of the powers granted by this Section, the
County Commissioners may be proper ordinance, passed in
accordance with the provisions of Section 3 of of Article
25 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (19 57 Edition, as
amended), adopt all necessary rules and conditions for
the acceptance, construction and maintenance of roads
and/or other authorized improvements by the County. The
ordinance shall also provide for THE METHOD OF
DETERMINATION OF THE annual benefit assessments to be
levied against the abutting properties for the purpose of
reimbursing the County for the cost of the improvements
and the time and manner of payment, but not to exceed ten
years. Annual benefit assessments shall be a first lien
upon the property against which they are assessed, until
paid, subject only to prior State and County taxes, and
if any property be sold for State and County taxes, and
there remains a surplus, then the County Commissioners
may upon petition to the Circuit Court be allowed the
payment of their lien.

348D.

Before the powers granted by this sub-heading can be
exercised there must first be the petition of the
property owners as hereinbefore provided requesting
improvements, public hearing upon the petition after ten
days' notice in a newspaper regularly published in
Charles County, approval of the petition by the County
Commissioners, and the passage of an appropriate
ordinance pursuant to the authority of the section
setting forth the improvements being constructed, the
property owners affected, and all material terms of the
annual benefit assessments levied to pay the cost of the
improvements, or any reasonable portion thereof, as
determined by the County Commissioners[; provided that no
assessment shall exceed ten percent of the assessed value
of the property after giving effect to benefits accruing
thereto from the improvement for which assessed].

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act
shall take effect July 1, 1975.

Approved April 8, 1975.