No formality shall be required to authorize the repairing of sidewalks, or of street or other paving, curbing, guttering, macadamizing or part thereof, or reconstructing the same, and making assessments therefor; but the proper officer or committee on improvements may, without notice, cause such work to be done, keeping an account of the cost thereof, and reporting the same to the board of aldermen for assessment; and each lot or piece of ground abutting on such sidewalk, street, avenue, or alley, or part thereof, shall be liable for its part of the cost of any work or improvement provided for in sections 88.700 and 88.703, done or made along or in front of such lot or piece of ground as reported to the board of aldermen, and all lands, lots and public parks owned by any county or city, and all other public lands, all cemeteries, owned by public, private or municipal corporations; provided, that nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize any assessment against any cemetery lot, and all railroad rights-of-way fronting or abutting on any of said improvements shall be liable for their proportionate part of the cost of such work and improvements, and tax bills shall be issued against said property as against other property, and any county or city that shall own any such property shall out of the general revenue funds pay any such tax bill, and in any case where any county or city or railroad company shall fail to pay any such tax bill, the owner of the same may sue such county, city or railroad company on such tax bill and be entitled to recover a general judgment against such county, city or railroad company. Any of said improvements to be paid for by such city may be paid for by said city out of the general revenue funds if the council so desires, but all such work and improvements shall be paid for with special tax bills unless the proceedings of the city for the same specify that payment will be made out of the general revenue funds of said city. The board of aldermen may provide a penalty for failure to pay such special tax within a given time, and any tax bills issued in payment of such repairs shall constitute a lien upon the property liable therefor until paid. All costs for building and constructing sidewalks shall be paid to the contractor therefor, in special tax bills assessed against the abutting property liable therefor, and such tax bills shall constitute a lien upon such property until paid, and shall bear interest at eight percent per annum from the date of issue.