234.120.  Authorizing payment of bonds by special assessment — procedure. — 1.  If such city shall contain two hundred thousand or more inhabitants and the price for such right-of-way shall be reasonable, and such city, through its proper authorities shall propose to pay as much as one-half of the cost of such right-of-way, and bonds of such county for payment of the remainder of such cost would, if issued, increase the indebtedness of such county to exceed the constitutional limit, or if an election shall be held in such county pursuant to the general law governing elections on the issuance of bonds by counties, and less than the constitutionally required percentage of the voters at such election vote for increase of indebtedness; or if the owners of a majority of acres of the land in such county and within two miles of such bridge, or the proposed site thereof if not then constructed, shall petition the county commission of such county, praying that bonds payable by special assessments be issued to provide funds for use in purchasing such right-of-way and paying any and all expenses preliminary to and incidental to issuance and sale of such bonds; the county commission, if it finds that such petition was signed by owners of a majority of the land in the county and within two miles of such bridge or such proposed site, which finding shall thereafter be conclusive evidence of such fact, shall appoint three commissioners, each of whom shall be a resident of and an owner of land in the county.  If any commissioner so appointed shall fail or refuse to qualify as such commissioner, or to properly perform his duties as such, the county commission shall appoint another.

  2.  Such commissioners shall qualify within ten days after being appointed, by taking, subscribing and filing with the county clerk of the county the oath prescribed by the constitution, and that they will faithfully, honestly and impartially discharge their duties as such commissioners according to law.

  3.  After so qualifying, such commissioners shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a map of territory embracing all lands in this state and on the side of the stream adjoined by the county and within ten miles of the location or proposed location of such bridge and the commissioners shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, a list of all the lands, and shall fix a fair and impartial valuation on each tract of such lands independent of the buildings thereon, and indicate on such list the valuation so fixed upon each tract of such land, and what tracts lie within two miles of the location or proposed location of such bridge and what at a greater distance than two miles and not more than four miles, and what more than four miles and not over seven miles, and what over seven miles and within ten miles thereof.  Each tract of land of forty acres, according to a government survey, and each of the smallest subdivisions of land that has been lawfully platted and each separate tract of less than forty acres shall, for the purpose of this section, be regarded as within two miles of such location or proposed location if the major portion thereof is so, and more than two miles and not over four miles from such location or proposed location if the major portion thereof is so, and more than four miles and not over seven miles if the major portion thereof is so, and over seven miles and within ten miles therefrom if the major portion thereof is so.  If such lands lie in two or more counties, the commissioners shall indicate in such list what lands lie in each of the counties.

  4.  The word "lands", as used in this section, shall be construed as meaning both lands and lots, and without regard to whether they are within any incorporated city, town or village.

  5.  If the commissioners cannot agree upon the valuation to be fixed upon any tract of such lands, they shall arrive at the value thereof by adding together the valuation placed thereon independent of the buildings thereon by each of them, and dividing the total thereof by three.  The commissioners, upon completion of such list of lands shall annex a certificate thereto that they believe the same to be correct; and they shall file such a list of lands, with such certificate annexed thereto, with the county clerk of the county in which they were appointed, who shall thereupon give notice, in each county including any of such lands, by at least two publications in a weekly newspaper published therein, that the commissioners have so filed the list of lands, and setting forth therein the boundaries embracing all of such lands, and stating therein that all lands within such boundaries shall be subject to assessment to pay special assessment bonds, and such notice shall state a day not less than two weeks later than the date of the first publication of such notice, upon which the county commission will be in session and will consider objections and exceptions to such list of lands and the valuation therein indicated.  Such notice shall state that all persons owning or interested in land within the boundaries may file written objections and exceptions to the list of lands and valuations, with the county clerk, at any time previous to such day, and be heard thereon on such day.

  6.  Should such county commission fail for any cause to be in session on the day stated in such notice, the county clerk shall give a new notice appointing some other day for consideration of such objections and exceptions.  Such objections and exceptions shall be in writing and signed by or for the party offering the same, and shall describe the land owned or in which the party offering the same is interested, and shall specifically state the objections of such party to the list of lands or to valuations therein indicated, and shall be filed with the county clerk before the day stated in such notice for the consideration thereof.  The county commission on such day, or as soon thereafter as the business of the county commission will permit, shall consider the list, and the objections and exceptions thereto that may be so filed, and hear any evidence offered in support thereof or contrary thereto.  Such hearing may be continued from time to time as the ends of justice may require.  After consideration of all such objections and exceptions, if any, and hearing such evidence as may be so offered, the county commission shall make any alterations and corrections of such list of lands, and of the valuation fixed by said commissioners of any of the lands, or fix such valuation on the lands as it may deem proper, and shall thereupon approve such list of lands, and order the clerk of the county commission to annex to the list of lands a certificate of such approval; and the county commission shall make an order stating and allowing reasonable compensation for the commissioners, and the expense incurred by them, including engineer and attorney fees, in preparing or causing to be prepared the map and list of lands, which compensation shall not exceed five dollars per day for each commissioner, and the county commission shall thereafter enter into a contract, or cause a contract to be entered into in conjunction with such city, for the purchase of such right-of-way and for the payment of the portion of the purchase price payable by the county, with such bonds, or out of funds to be derived from the sale of such bonds, and by such means only; and such commission shall thereafter issue such bonds for the amount payable by the county of such purchase price, plus the amount of such compensation and expense, and any and all expenses incidental to the issuance and sale of such bonds, and such additional amount as will cover the discount at which such bonds may be sold and pay interest on such bonds until the first assessment to pay such bonds shall become payable.

  7.  Such bonds shall be issued in denominations of not less than one hundred dollars each, and bear interest from their date at a rate not exceeding the rate per annum permitted by law, payable on the first days of April and October after such date until all of the bonds shall be paid.  The principal shall become due and payable in installments, which need not be equal, and shall be such that the first thereof shall become payable on the first interest-paying day after the first of such special assessments shall become payable and one each year thereafter, but so as all installments shall become payable within twenty years and the last thereof not less than eighteen years after the date of the bonds.  Both principal and interest shall be payable at some convenient banking house or trust company's office to be named in the bonds.

  8.  The bonds shall be signed by the presiding commissioner of the county commission and attested by the county clerk, and the clerk shall register them in a suitable book for that purpose.  After being so registered, they shall be presented to the state auditor for registration, who shall register them as bonds mentioned in section 108.260 are required by law to be registered, and the provisions of such law as amended shall be applicable to special assessment bonds issued pursuant to this law the same as to bonds mentioned in such law as amended.  Such bonds, after being so registered by the state auditor, shall be deposited with the treasurer of the county, in whose custody they shall remain until disposed of as authorized by this section.

  9.  The county commission may sell the bonds, or any of them, at public or at private sale, for not less than ninety-five percent of their face value or may use such bonds, or any portion of them, at not less than ninety-five percent of their face value in paying for such right-of-way.  Such bonds, and the interest thereon, shall be payable and collectible only out of moneys derived from special assessments against the lands and from money derived from the sale of such bonds and interest that may accrue on funds so derived while on deposit with any depositary.

  10.  The county commission, either before or after issuance of such bonds, may have an adjudication of their validity, by the circuit court of the county, by filing a petition therefor with the circuit clerk of the county, setting forth therein the boundaries embracing all of the lands and stating what counties include such lands.  The circuit clerk, when such petition shall have been so filed, shall cause notice to be published in four successive issues of a weekly newspaper, in each of the counties, stating therein such boundaries, and that all persons owning or interested in lands within such boundaries are thereby summoned to appear before the circuit court on the first day of the term thereof in such notice named and show any reason there may be why such bonds should not be adjudged valid or cannot be paid by special assessments against the lands.  The notice shall also state the term of the circuit court, which shall be the first term fifteen or more days after the last publication of such notice, at which such parties are required to appear, and the first day thereof.  The circuit court shall consider any and all reasons that may be submitted on or before the first day of the term why such bonds should not be adjudged valid or cannot be paid by special assessments against the lands and any evidence offered in support thereof or against the same; and unless the contrary shall be shown and proven to the satisfaction of the court, shall adjudge the bonds valid, and that the lands shall be subject to special assessments to pay same.

  11.  After issuance of such bonds, the county clerk of the county issuing them shall prepare a list of such lands and of the valuations thereof for special assessment purposes and therein give to all lands within two miles of the location or proposed location of such bridge the valuations indicated by the list approved by the county commission, and to lands a greater distance than two miles and not more than four miles from such location or proposed location, seventy-five percent of the valuations so indicated therefor, and lands more than four miles and not over seven miles, fifty percent of the valuations so indicated, and lands over seven miles from and within ten miles of such location or proposed location, twenty-five percent of the valuations thereof so indicated.

  12.  If the list includes land in more than one county, the county clerk shall prepare for and supply the county clerk of each other county embracing any of the land a list of such lands as are in the county of each and the valuations thereof as so given in the list so prepared for special assessment purposes, and shall certify to each of them as special assessments are ordered the rate at which the lands are assessed and are to be charged in the tax books to be prepared.

  13.  The county commission shall each year order a special assessment against the lands of such percent of the valuations thereof as so given in such list for special assessment purposes as shall suffice to pay such of the bonds, and such interest as shall become payable before the next assessment thereafter shall become payable.  The county clerk of each county embracing any of such lands shall charge such assessments on his tax books against the lands subject thereto, and when so charged such assessments shall constitute a lien upon the lands charged therewith for the amount thereof and all interest and penalties that may accrue thereon and all cost in collecting the same, including attorney fees to be taxed as cost in the action to enforce payment, which lien shall be paramount to all other liens except of the state for state, county, school and road taxes, and such assessments shall become due and payable and be subject to penalties and interest at the same rate when in default as such taxes; and suits to foreclose the lien of such assessment may be instituted and enforced in the same manner as for such taxes; and county collectors shall receive and receipt for such assessments as are charged on their tax books, and interest and penalties thereon, the same as for taxes so charged.

  14.  In suits to enforce the lien of any such assessments, bills thereof issued by the county shall be prima facie evidence of the amounts of the assessments, and that they are valid liens against the lands charged therewith as indicated by such bills.  The county treasurer of any county issuing such bonds shall be the custodian of funds derived therefrom, and from such special assessments, and shall be liable on his official bond therefor, and county collectors collecting any such assessments shall pay them to him.  He shall deposit such funds in the county depositary and interest accruing thereon when so deposited shall be for the same use as funds derived from assessments, and he shall disburse all such funds as contemplated by this law.