Section 3-33-21 - Improvement district; assessment roll; notice of assessment hearing.
3-33-21. Improvement district; assessment roll; notice of assessment hearing.
A. After the contract has been awarded and the governing body determines the total cost of the improvement to the municipality, the governing body shall determine what portion of the total cost of the improvement shall be assessed against the benefited tract or parcel of land. The assessment, including the cost of the improvement at an intersection, shall not exceed the estimated benefit to the tract or parcel of land assessed.
B. With the engineer, the governing body shall prepare and cause to be filed in the office of the municipal clerk an assessment roll containing, among other things:
(1) the name of the last-known owner of the tract or parcel of land to be assessed, or if his name is unknown, state "unknown";
(2) a description of the tract or parcel of land to be assessed; and
(3) the amount of the assessment against each tract or parcel of land.
C. After the filing of the assessment roll, the governing body shall, by resolution, set a time and place for the assessment hearing when an owner may object to the amount of the assessment.
D. Not more than thirty days nor less than ten days before the day of the hearing, the municipal clerk, his deputy or the engineer shall mail the notice of the hearing on the assessment roll to the owner of the tract or parcel of land being assessed the cost of the improvement at his last known address. The name and address of the owner of each tract of land shall be obtained from the records of the county assessor or any other source the municipal clerk or engineer deems reliable. Proof of the mailing is to be made by affidavit of the municipal clerk, his deputy, or the engineer, which shall be filed in the office of the municipal clerk. Failure to mail any notice shall not invalidate any of the proceedings authorized in Sections 3-33-1 through 3-33-43 NMSA 1978. The notice of the hearing shall also be published once each week for three consecutive weeks and the last publication shall be at least one week prior to the day of the hearing. Such service by publication shall be verified by an affidavit of the publisher which is to be filed in the office of the municipal clerk.