24-205. Cost of work; assessments. The said township trustee, whenever he shall have established any such ditch, drain, or watercourse, shall divide the same into suitable sections, not less in number than the number of owners of land through which the same may be located, and shall also prescribe the time within which the work upon such sections shall be completed, and by whom done. And the said trustee shall assess and allow all the fees, costs and expenses of locating and establishing such ditch, drain, or watercourse, and shall apportion the payment of the same equitably among the parties to be benefited thereby. And the trustee may prescribe the time within which assessments shall be paid, and may, if he deem it necessary and convenient to the parties, direct the clerks to prepare, for the use of each person having costs to pay and labor to perform, a brief statement, in writing, describing briefly his, her or their apportionment of said ditch, together with the length, depth, width, and place of the same, amount of costs assessed against such person, when to be paid, and by what time said work to be completed; and that whenever any such ditch, drain or watercourse shall become in any manner obstructed, it shall be the duty of said township trustee, after five days' notice having been given by any person damaged thereby, to cause such ditch, drain or watercourse to be repaired in such a manner as to remove such obstruction, and to restore such ditch, drain or watercourse to its established width and depth; and to this end said trustee shall have power, for such purpose, to enter upon the lands of any person through which such ditch, drain or watercourse may pass.

The cost and expense of such work and repairs shall be equitably apportioned among the parties benefited thereby, and said trustee may prescribe the time within which such assessments may be paid. When any assessment or part of assessment of the costs and expenses of locating, establishing or repairing any such ditch, drain or watercourse shall remain unpaid at the expiration of the time prescribed for the payment of the same, by said trustee, such unpaid costs and expenses may be certified to the county clerk and collected as provided for in K.S.A. 24-213.

History: L. 1879, ch. 100, § 5; L. 1895, ch. 118, § 1; April 12; R.S. 1923, 24-205.