HARRY HUGHES, Governor

1735

(b)  Authority to create; purpose. The County Commissioners
[of Washington County] may create special road improvement
districts within the confines of the County for the purpose of
providing a method of funding the improvement of private roads in
the County to County standards prior to acceptance in the County
road system. Only land which fronts on the road to be improved
shall be included in a district and, of such land, only so much
thereof as shall have at least an average depth in one ownership
of 100 feet shall be included.

(c)  Petition by owners. The procedures set forth in this
subtitle for the creation of a special road improvement district
may only ' be initiated by a petition signed by the owners of the
land in the proposed district having over half of the frontage on
the road. The petition may be developed and the signatures
obtained either by [one] 1 or more of the owners or by the County
Commissioners.

(d)  Commissioners' receipt of petition. Upon receipt of a
petition or upon their own motion, if the County Commissioners
developed and obtained the signatures to the petition, and before
a district may be created, the County Commissioners shall [do the
following]:

(1)  Cause an investigation to be made of the section
of road to be improved; the investigation shall include a study
of the condition of the road, the width of the right of way, the
ownership and configuration of land fronting on the road,
particularly with respect to the frontages and depths of the
various tracts adjoining the road, the estimated cost of
improving the road and any other matters which the County
Commissioners may feel are relevant to the creation of a
district.

(2)  Cause a public hearing to be held after written
notice of the hearing and the purpose thereof has been published
[one] 1 time in a newspaper having general circulation in the
County and after a copy of the notice has been mailed or
delivered to each owner of land in the proposed district. At the
hearing, all persons having an interest in the creation of the
district shall be heard and be permitted to present any evidence
relevant to the person's position in the matter as may be
desired.

(e)  Decision by Commissioners; appeals. After the public
hearing is held, the County Commissioners shall decide whether a
special road improvement district shall be created for the area
in question, or for part [thereof] OF IT, and, if the decision is
in favor of the creation of a district, it shall cause a
resolution to be passed outlining [the] ITS boundaries [thereof]
and giving preliminary approval to the land therein as a special
road improvement district.[; thereafter] AFTERWARDS, the same
notice of its decision shall be given to the owners as was given
of the public hearing. Any person aggrieved by the decision of