SEC. 5. The chairman, clerk, and treasurer, aforesaid, shall also perform all such acts and duties as required of them, or either of them, by the committee or this act, or any ordinance passed in furtherance of this act. The chairman shall hold his office at the pleasure of the committee.

SEC. 6. The mayor of the city, or the chairman of the town or village, as the case may be, shall. fill vacancies as the case occurs, on the sewerage committee, by death, resignation, removal, or expiration of term from the city or village by the appointment of persons to be members thereof, who are bona fide residents and taxpayers of such city, town, or village, and two of the committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business.

SEC. 7. The chairman of the committee shall execute all written contracts on behalf thereof, and sign all orders for the payment of money authorized thereby.

SEC. 8. The clerk of the committee is its clerical officer and shall keep a fair minute of all its acts, and duly countersigned all orders authorized by it, and signed by the chairman on its behalf, keep its accounts and have the custody of its books and papers.

SEC. 9. The committee may also from time to time hire, employ, and discharge engineer or engineers, surveyor or surveyors, consulting engineer or engineers, draftsman, or consulting surveyor or surveyors as well as such other agents, workmen, laborers and servants at such compensation or wages as the committee may deem necessary or convenient for the accomplishment of the purposes of this act.

SEC. 10. The committee has power and authority:

1. To employ, hire and discharge from time to time all such agents, workman, laborers, or servants as may be deemed necessary in the conduct, operating, and management of the city sewer system and sewerage disposal works.

2. To make all needful rules and regulations of the conduct and management of the same for the said city and inhabitants thereof.

3. To do any other act and to make any other regulations necessary and convenient for the conduct of its business and the due execution of the power and authority

given it by this act, or by ordinances not contrary to law. SEC. 11. The committee shall meet in the city or village for the transaction of business at least once a month and for the transaction of business as it may deem correct, and for the transaction of other business at such other time, as it may provide.

SEC. 12. Assessments made under subdivision one of this section, shall be made, assessed, and collected in the following manner:

1. The assessment or cost of any sewerage work, or sewerage disposal works or improvements provided for in section one of this act, shall be assessed upon all the lots or parcels of land fronting on all highways, streets, or alleys included within any sewerage improvement district as well as all lots or parcels of land situated therein, each lot or parcel of land being separately assessed for the full debt thereof in proportion to the benefits to the property to be benefited, sufficient to cover the total expense of such work of the construction of such sewer and sewerage disposal works: Provided, however, That such assessments shall not include the property occupied by the streets, cross streets and alleys.

2. When any work or improvement mentioned in this act is done or made so that the boundary line of the sewerage district, within which such work or improvement is being carried on, shall cross along the center line of any street, alley, or public way, within said city, town or village, the lots fronting along that side, and which are included within said district on that side of said street, alley, or public way within said district, only shall be assessed to cover the expense of such work according to the provisions of said act.

The city council or trustees shall before or during the constructing of the sewerage system, or sewerage disposal works, or either or both, or other improvements under the provisions of this act, the costs of which are to be levied and assessed upon the property benefited first pass at a general or special meeting an ordinance declaring its intention to construct such sewer system, or sewerage disposal works or other improvements under this act and stating in such resolution or ordinance the specific boundaries of the proposed sewerage district, which boundary lines shall be

plainly and distinctly stated so that it may be plainly determined therefrom what property or properties are to be included in said proposed district, the general character of the said proposed sewerage system and sewerage disposal works and 'the estimated cost of same. That the costs of the same are to be assessed against all the property included within such sewerage district: (Provided, however, That it shall be stated that such sewerage district shall not include for assessment, property occupied by streets, cross streets and alleys in said district), and shall fix the time, not less than five days, in which protests against said proposed improvements and works, may be filed in the office of the city clerk, it shall be the duty of such clerk to cause such resolution or ordinance, after the same shall become a law, to be published in the official newspaper of the city or village in at least one issue before the time fixed in such resolution or ordinance for filing such protest, an affidavit of such publication shall be filed with the clerk on or before the time fixed for the hearing of such protest.

If protests against the proposed improvement by owners of more than two-thirds of the front feet of lots of land included within the assessment district therein provided shall be filed on or before the day fixed for such filing, the council or trustees shall not proceed further with such work unless three-fourths of the members of the council or board of trustees shall vote to proceed with such work.

If no such protest is filed, or if such or any protest is filed, and after hearing the same, three-fourths of the city council, or trustees shall vote to proceed with such work, the council or trustees shall at the next regular meeting, proceed to consider the same, and shall then, or at a subsequent time proceed to enact an ordinance for such improvement. By the provisions of such ordinance, a locaļ improvement district shall be established to be called "Local Sewerage Improvement District No. ...." which shall include all the property fronting on the street or streets and all the lots and parcels of lands included within the boundary lines of the said local sewerage improvement district as heretofore designated by the said council or board of trustees, other than such property as is occupied by streets, or alleys. Such ordinance shall provide that such sewerage improvement shall be made and that the cost and

expense thereof shall be fixed and assessed upon all the property in such local sewer improvement district, which costs shall be assessed in proportion to the property front feet of such lands or lots included in said sewerage improvement district as hereinbefore stated, and as in this act provided, and in proportion to the benefits derived by said sewerage improvement: Provided, That the city council or trustees may expend from the general fund for such purposes, such sums as in their judgment may be fair and equitable in consideration of the benefits accruing to the general public by reason of such sewerage improvement.

The expense of repairing and maintaining such sewer system and sewerage disposal works, when completed shall be paid and borne by the city or village. Whenever any expense or cost of work shall be assessed, on any land, lots, or pieces or parcels of land, the amount of said assessment or expenses shall become a lien upon such lands, lots or parcels of land and shall take precedence of all other liens and which may be foreclosed in accordance with the provisions of law.

Such suit or suits may be in the name of the city or village of........ (naming it) as plaintiff. And in such proceeding, where the court trying the case shall be satisfied that the work has been done, or material furnished, which according to the true intent of the act or any ordinance passed in connection therewith as such city or village, would be properly chargeable upon the lot or lands thereby, or along such lots or lands or that the same or any part thereof may be of benefit or are within the boundary lines of such improved district, a recovery shall be permitted and a charge enforced to the extent of the proper proportion or value of the work or labor or material which would be chargeable upon such lot or land notwithstanding any informalities, irregularities, or defects in any of the proceedings of such municipal corporation, or any of its officers.

5. Upon the passage of an ordinance as herein provided, the committee on streets, together with the sewerage committee, or other proper authority of said city, town, or village shall make out an assessment roll according to the provisions of said ordinance, and shall certify the same to the council or trustees of said city, town, or village.

6. Upon receiving said assessment roll, the clerk of said city, town or village shall give notice by two successive publications in the official newspaper of said city, town, or village that said assessment roll is on file in his office, and the date of filing the same, and said notice shall state the time at which the council or trustees will hear and consider objections to said assessment roll, by the parties or any party aggrieved by such assessment. The owner or owners of any property which is assessed in such assessment roll, whether named there or not in such assessment roll, may within ten days of the last publication provided herein, file with the clerk his or her objections, in writing, to said assessment or any portion thereof, which objections must be definite and specific as to the property or piece of property included in said assessment roll to which said objection is made, as well as specific grounds of such objections.

7. At the time appointed for hearing said objections to such assessment, the council or trustees shall hear and determine all objections which have been filed by any parties interested to the regularity of the proceedings in making such assessment, and the correctness of such assessment, and the amount levied upon any lot, part, or parcel of land, and the council or trustees shall have power to adjourn such hearing from time to time and shall have power in their discretion to overrule such objection in whole or in part, or to revise, correct, confirm, or set aside and to order such assessment be made de novo and such council or trustees shall make an order approving and confirming such proceedings and assessments as corrected by them and their decision shall be a final determination of the regularity, validity and correctness of said assessment to the amount thereof levied on each lot or parcel of land.

8. Any person who has filed objections to such assessment or reassessment, as herein provided, shall have the right to appeal to the district court of this State in and for the county in which the said city, town, or village may be situated.

9. Such appeal shall be made by filing written notice of appeal with such clerk of said city, town, or village within five days after such assessment or reassessment roll shall have been approved and confirmed by the said coun