Montana Code Annotated
Part 41. Special Improvement Districts
7-12-4162. Assessment of costs -- area option -- assessed valuation option -- equal amount option

7-12-4162. Assessment of costs -- area option -- assessed valuation option -- equal amount option. (1) (a) The city council or commission shall assess the entire cost of an improvement against benefited property in the district, each lot or parcel of land assessed within such district to be assessed for that part of the whole cost which its assessable area bears to the assessable area of all benefited lots or parcels in the district, exclusive of streets, avenues, alleys, and public places. For the purposes of this subsection, "assessable area" means an area of a lot or parcel of land representing the benefit conferred on the lot or parcel by the improvement. Assessable area may be less than but may not exceed the actual area of the lot or parcel.
(b) The council or commission, in its discretion, shall have the power to pay the whole or any part of the cost of any street, avenue, or alley intersection out of any funds in its hands available for that purpose or to include the whole or any part of such costs within the amount of the assessment to be paid by the benefited property in the district.
(c) In order to equitably apportion the cost of any of the improvements herein provided for between that land within the district which lies within 25 feet of the line of the street on which the improvement is to be made and all other benefited land within the district, the council or commission may, in the resolution creating any improvement district, provide that the amount of the assessment against the property in such district to defray the cost of such improvements shall be so assessed that each square foot of land within the district lying within 25 feet of the line of the street on which the improvements therein provided for are made shall bear double the amount of cost of such improvements per square foot of such land that each square foot of any other benefited land within the district shall bear.
(2) The city council or city commission may assess the cost of an improvement against each lot or parcel of land in the district based on the assessed value of the benefited lots or parcels of land within the district if the council or commission determines such assessment to be equitable and in proportion to and not exceeding the benefits derived from the improvement by the lot or parcel.
(3) (a) The city council or city commission may assess each lot or parcel of land in the district an equal amount based upon the total cost of the improvement.
(b) If the method specified for assessment is that described in subsection (3)(a) and an increase occurs in the number of benefited lots, tracts, or parcels within the boundaries of a district created as provided in this part during the term of bonded indebtedness that is payable from the assessments, the city council or city commission shall recalculate the amount assessable to each lot, tract, or parcel. The city council or city commission shall comply with the provisions of 7-12-4176 through 7-12-4178 in adopting the recalculated amount. The city council or city commission shall base the recalculation on the amount of the district's outstanding bonded indebtedness for the current fiscal year and shall spread the assessments across the district based on the number of benefited lots, tracts, or parcels within the boundaries of the district as of July 1 following the action that resulted in the increase in the number of benefited lots, tracts, or parcels.
History: En. Sec. 14, Ch. 89, L. 1913; re-en. Sec. 5238, R.C.M. 1921; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 163, L. 1925; re-en. Sec. 5238, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 39, L. 1955; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 330, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 85, L. 1973; R.C.M. 1947, 11-2214(1)(a); amd. Sec. 37, Ch. 665, L. 1985; (2)En. Sec. 5, Ch. 631, L. 1987; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 269, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 293, L. 2011.

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