(a) The legislative body of any town, city or borough may require any private person or any firm or corporation to remove from any waterway or tidal water within the jurisdiction of such town, city or borough any debris, wreckage or other similar material for which such private person or firm or corporation is responsible and which prevents or may tend to prevent the free discharge of flood waters. When any such private person, firm or corporation fails to comply with such requirement within a reasonable time, such legislative body shall have authority to remove or cause to be removed any such debris, wreckage or other similar material and to assess the cost of such removal against such private person or firm or corporation. Any such assessment may be collected in the manner provided by the general statutes for the collection of taxes by a town, city or borough.

(b) Any private person or any firm or corporation aggrieved by any such assessment may, within thirty days after notice thereof, appeal from such assessment to the superior court for the judicial district in which such town, city or borough is located. Notice of such appeal shall be served upon the town, city or borough by any proper officer or indifferent person. Said court shall hear such appeal and shall reexamine the legality and reasonableness of the assessment, either by itself or by a committee by it appointed. Said court may render such judgment upon such appeal as it finds will accord with the public welfare and may tax costs in its discretion.

(1949 Rev., S. 705, 706; 1957, P.A. 13, S. 23; 1971, P.A. 870, S. 12; P.A. 76-436, S. 259, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 1, 127.)

History: 1971 act substituted court of common pleas for superior court in Subsec. (b), effective September 1, 1971, except that courts with cases pending retain jurisdiction unless pending matters deemed transferable; P.A. 76-436 substituted superior court for court of common pleas and added reference to judicial districts, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 deleted reference to counties.