Montana Code Annotated 2017

TITLE 7. LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER 13. UTILITY SERVICES

Part 22. County Water and/or Sewer Districts

Hearing On Assessment

7-13-2282. Hearing on assessment. (1) At the time fixed, the board of directors shall meet and hear all objections and for that purpose may adjourn from day to day.

(2) The board of directors may by resolution modify the assessment in whole or in part. A copy of the resolution, certified by the secretary, must be delivered to the county clerk and recorder of the county in which the lot, tract, or parcel is located within 2 days after passage of the resolution.

(3) At any time within 30 days after the date of the first publication of the notice of proposed assessments, any owner of property to be assessed for the costs of making the improvements may make written protest against the levy of assessments. The protest must be in writing, identify the property in the district owned by the protestor, and be signed by all owners of the property except as provided in 7-13-2290. The protest must be delivered to the secretary of the district not later than 5 p.m. of the last day of the 30-day period provided for in this subsection. The secretary shall endorse the date and hour of receipt on the protest.

(4) If the board of directors finds that a protest with respect to the method or methods of assessment described in the resolution is made by the owners of property in the district to be assessed for more than 50% of the cost of improvements, the board of directors may not use the method or methods of assessment described in the resolution. A protest does not bar the board of directors from adopting subsequent resolutions pursuant to 7-13-2280, using a different method of assessment, and levying the assessments following notice and hearing as provided in 7-13-2281 and this section or, not less than 6 months after the receipt of sufficient protests, instituting proceedings under 7-13-2280, 7-13-2281, and this section proposing the same method of assessment.

History: En. Sec. 4, Ch. 351, L. 1999; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 341, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 214, L. 2011.