Terms Used In Missouri Laws 243.550

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of the statutes, mean the section next preceding or next following that in which the reference is made, unless some other section is expressly designated in the reference. See Missouri Laws 1.020
  • Property: includes real and personal property. See Missouri Laws 1.020

Whenever the owners of twenty-five percent or more of the acreage of the lands in the district shall file a petition with the county commission stating that there has been a material change in the values of the property in the district since the last previous assessment of benefits or readjustment of the assessment of benefits and praying for a readjustment of the assessment of benefits for the purpose of making a more equitable basis for the levy of the maintenance tax or for the purpose of levying a new tax to pay the costs of the completion of the proposed works and improvements as shown in any supplemental plan for reclamation, or for both of the aforesaid purposes, the county commission shall give notice of the filing and hearing of the petition by posting such notice in a prominent place in the court house and by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once a week for at least four consecutive weeks, the last insertion to be at least fifteen days prior to the hearing of the petition. The notice may be in the following form:

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Notice is hereby given to all persons interested in the lands and property included within the ______ district that a petition has been filed in the office of the county commission of ______ County, ______, praying for a readjustment of the assessment of benefits for the purpose(s) of. ______, and that the petition will be heard by the county commission on the ______ day of ______, 20______.
__________________?
Clerk of ______ County

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Upon hearing of the petition if the county commission finds that there has been a material change in the values of property in the district since the last previous assessment of benefits, the county commission shall order that there be made a readjustment of the assessment of benefits for the purpose of providing a basis upon which to levy the maintenance tax of the district or for the purpose of levying a new tax to pay the costs of the completion of the proposed works and improvements as shown in any supplemental plan for reclamation, or for both of the aforesaid purposes.