The county is hereby empowered and directed to make a proper and reasonable charge
for connection with the water supply, sewerage, and drainage systems or parts thereof
so to be constructed, purchased, or established, as provided in this article, to change
and vary such connection charges from time to time in order to reflect cost, and to
fix an annual benefit assessment on all properties, improved and unimproved, binding
on a street, road, lane, alley, or right-of-way in which a water main, sewer, or drain
has been built. The annual benefit assessment shall be made upon the front foot basis
or other basis determined by the county to be just and reasonable, except in situations
where property owners have agreed with the county on another or additional basis of
assessments upon their property under the provisions of § 20-1-117 of this article. Such charges and benefit assessments shall be deposited to the construction
fund to pay the expenses of constructing such water supply, sewerage, and drainage
systems or parts thereof or to the general and operating fund to pay operating and
other expenses from such fund, including principal of and interest on bonds in accordance
with § 20-4-104 of this article.
(1988 Code, § 35-211) (Bill No. 126, § 2, 9-28-1990; Bill No. 30-03, § 1, 7-1-2004)
Annotation-
A statutory precursor to this section, as it existed prior to amendment, is fully
discussed and its constitutionality upheld in Dinneen v. Rider, 152 Md. 343, 136 A.
754 (1927). The former section is also cited in Home Owners' Loan Corp. v. Baltimore
City, 175 Md. 676, 3 A.2d 747 (1939), in connection with the holding that city water
service charges are not a lien against property in Baltimore County.
