A. Upon completion of the special assessment roll, it shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the city and the governing body of the city shall set a time and place when objections thereto by the owners of the property to be assessed will be heard.

B. Upon receiving the assessment roll, the clerk of the city shall serve notice in writing of the time and place of such hearing on the owners of the property to be assessed by mailing a copy of the notice to each of the property owners at his last known address, the names and addresses of the property owners to be obtained from the records of the county assessor or from such other sources as the city clerk deems reliable. The notice shall be mailed at least ten days before such hearing.

C. The clerk of the city shall also give notice of the time and place of the hearing by publication in a newspaper of general circulation therein once each week on the same day of the week for two consecutive weeks, the last publication to be at least five days prior to the date of the protest hearing. The notice shall state that such assessment roll is on file in his office, the date of filing the same, the time and place when and where the governing body will hear and consider objections to the assessment roll and to the proposed assessments by the owners of property to be assessed.

D. The owner or owners of any property which is listed in the assessment roll, whether therein named or not, may, not less than two days preceding the hearing, file with the clerk his specific objections in writing. Any objection to the regularity, validity and correctness of the proceedings, of the assessment roll, of each appraisal of benefits, and of the amount thereof to be levied on each tract and parcel of land, shall be deemed waived unless presented at the time and in the manner herein specified.

E. At the time and place so designated for hearing the objections, the governing body of the city shall hear and determine all objections which have been so filed by any property owner to the regularity of the proceedings in making the assessment, and the correctness of the appraisal, or of the amount levied on any particular tract or parcel of real property to be assessed, and said governing body shall have the power to adjourn the hearing from time to time, and shall have power by ordinance, in its discretion, to revise, correct, confirm or set aside any assessment, and to order that the assessment be made de novo.

F. The governing body by ordinance shall, by reference to the assessment roll as so modified, and as confirmed by the ordinance, levy the assessments in the roll; and such decision and ordinance shall be a final determination of the regularity, validity and correctness of the proceedings, of the assessment roll, of each assessment contained herein, and of the amount levied on each tract and parcel of real property. The determination by the governing body shall be conclusive upon the owners of the property assessed.

G. Within fifteen days after the publication of the ordinance, any person who has filed an objection or objections, as hereinbefore provided, shall have the right to appeal to the district court for the county in which the city is located for review of errors of law in the determination; but thereafter all actions or suits attacking the regularity, validity, and correctness of the proceedings, of assessment roll, of each assessment contained therein, and of the amount thereof levied on each tract and parcel of real property, including, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the defense of confiscation, shall be perpetually barred.

History: 1953 Comp., § 14-52-19, enacted by Laws 1965, ch. 300.

Cross references. — For procedures governing administrative appeals to the district court, see Rule 1-074 NMRA.

For scope of review of the district court, see Zamora v. Vill. of Ruidoso Downs, 1995-NMSC-072, 120 N.M. 778, 907 P.2d 182 (1995).