§ 9-401.06. Improvement and repairs of alleys and sidewalks; construction of sewers and sidewalks.

(b) Said Mayor shall give notice by advertisement, twice a week for 2 weeks in some newspaper published in the City of Washington, of any assessment work proposed to be done by him under this section, designating the location and the kind of work to be done, specifying the kind of materials to be used, the estimated cost of the improvement, and fixing a time and place when and where property owners to be assessed can appear and present objections thereto, and for hearing thereof. One-half of the total cost of the assessment work herein provided for, including the expenses of the assessment, shall be charged against and become a lien upon abutting property, and an assessment therefor shall be levied pro rata according to the linear frontage of said property; provided, that no such assessment shall be levied against abutting property for the cost of repairing alleys or sidewalks when the damage requiring such repair is caused by the growth of roots of trees on public space or the cause of such damage is otherwise beyond the control of the owner of such property. One-half of the cost of the assessment work done under the provisions of this section shall be paid to the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue of the District of Columbia, as follows: one-third of the amount within 60 days after service of notice of such assessment, without interest; one-third within 1 year, and the remainder within 2 years from the date of such service of notice, and interest shall be charged at the rate of 6 per centum per annum from the date of service of such notice on all amounts which shall remain unpaid at the expiration of 60 days after service of notice of such assessment, which in all cases shall be served upon each lot owner, if he or she be a resident of the District, and his or her residence known, and if he or she be a nonresident of the District, or his or her residence unknown, such notice shall be served on his or her tenant or agent, as the case may be, and if there be no tenant or agent known to the Mayor, then he shall give notice of such assessment by advertisement twice a week for 2 weeks in some newspaper published in said District. The service of such notice, where the owner or his tenant or agent resides in the District of Columbia, shall be either personal or by leaving the same with some person of suitable age at the residence or place of business of such owner, agent, or tenant; and return of such service, stating the manner thereof, shall be made in writing and filed in the office of said Mayor; provided, that the cost of publication of the notice herein provided for, and the service of such notices shall be paid out of the appropriations for assessment and permit work. Any property upon which such assessment and accrued interest thereon, or any part thereof, shall remain unpaid at the expiration of 2 years from the date of service of notice of such assessment shall be subject to sale therefor under the same conditions and penalties which are imposed by existing laws for the nonpayment of general taxes; and if any property assessed as herein provided for shall become liable to sale for any other assessment or tax whatever, then the assessments levied under this section shall become immediately due and payable, and the property against which they are levied may be sold therefor, together with the accrued interest thereon, and the cost of advertising, to the date of such sale. Property owners who request improvements under the permit system shall deposit in advance with the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue of the District of Columbia an amount equal to one-half the estimated cost of such improvements, and in such cases it shall not be necessary to give the notice hereinbefore provided for. All moneys received by the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue of the District of Columbia for work done upon the request of property owners, as herein provided for, shall be deposited by him in the United States Treasury to the credit of the Permit Fund. Upon the completion of work done as aforesaid at the request of property owners, the Mayor shall repay to the then current appropriation for assessment and permit work, out of the Permit Fund, a sum equivalent to one-half of the cost of the work, and shall return to the depositors, from the same fund, as application may be made therefor, any surplus that may remain over and above one-half of the cost of the work. All sums received by the Director under the provisions of this section on account of assessment work, and in payment of assessments heretofore made prior to August 7, 1894, for compulsory permit work, shall be credited to the appropriation for assessment and permit work for the fiscal years in which they are collected; provided further, that the costs of service connections with water mains and sewers shall be assessed against the lots for which said connections are made, and shall be collected in the same manner and upon the same conditions as to notice as herein provided for assessment work.