Section 3-33-14 - Improvement district; petition method; requirements; distribution of costs; notice of hearing.
3-33-14. Improvement district; petition method; requirements; distribution of costs; notice of hearing.
A. Whenever the owners of sixty-six and two-thirds percent or more of the total assessed valuation of the property to be benefited, exclusive of any land owned by the United States or the state of New Mexico, petition in writing the governing body to create an improvement district and construct the improvement described in the petition, the governing body may:
(1) create the improvement district;
(2) select the type of material and method of construction to be used; and
(3) proceed with the construction of the improvement as authorized in Section 3-33-18 NMSA 1978 after complying with the requirements for a preliminary hearing required in this section. A governing body, board of county commissioners or local board of education may sign a petition seeking the improvement for any land under its control. The submission of separate petitions for any one improvement district within a six-month period shall be considered as a single petition.
B. The governing body may:
(1) pay the cost of the improvement;
(2) assess the cost of the improvement against the benefiting tracts or parcels of land;
(3) pay part of the cost of the improvement and assess part of the cost of the improvement against the benefiting tracts or parcels of land; or
(4) impose an improvement district property tax pursuant to Section 3-33-14.1 NMSA 1978.
C. If any part or all of the cost of the improvement sought to be constructed as authorized in this section is to be assessed against the benefiting tracts or parcels of land or paid for by the imposition of an improvement district property tax, the governing body shall hold a preliminary hearing on the proposed improvement district and give notice of the preliminary hearing.