A water resource board may enter an agreement with any federal or state agency, or any combination thereof, for the construction of a project, under the terms of which the contract for the work is to be let by the federal or state agency or any combination thereof. If under the terms of the agreement at least fifty percent of the total cost of constructing the project is to be paid by the agency or agencies and if any portion of the cost of the project is to be paid by the levy of special assessments, the board may by resolution create a project assessment district for the purpose of levying special assessments to finance the amount the district will be obligated to pay in accordance with the agreement, over and above any other funds that are on hand and properly available for that purpose. The assessment district must be of a size and form as to include all properties that in the judgment of the board, after consultation with a registered engineer designated by the board for that purpose, will be benefited by the construction of the proposed project, and the board shall direct the engineer to prepare a map showing the boundaries of the proposed assessment district. The board shall by resolution declare the necessity of the project, set forth the general nature and purpose of the proposed project, estimate the total cost of the project, and the approximate amount or fraction of the cost that the district will be obligated to pay under the agreement, and the fact that this amount, or a lesser amount as the board may specify, is proposed to be paid by the levy of special assessments upon property within the assessment district determined to be benefited by the project. The board shall cause the resolution of necessity together with a copy of the map showing the boundaries of the assessment district and a notice stating the date and time by which the owners of any property liable to be specially assessed for the proposed project must file their votes on the proposed project with the secretary of the board to be mailed to each landowner affected by the proposed project as determined by the tax rolls of the county in which the affected property is located. The board may send the material by certified mail or by regular mail attested by an affidavit of mailing signed by the attorney or secretary of the board. The notice also must set forth the time and place where the board shall meet to determine whether the project is approved. The notice must also be published once in a newspaper of general circulation in the district and once in the official county newspaper of each county in which the benefited lands are located. Within five days after the first mailing of the resolution the board shall cause a copy of the resolution to be personally served upon any county, city, township, school district, park district, or other political subdivision, in its corporate capacity which may be benefited directly or indirectly from the construction of the proposed project and upon any    county which may become liable for any deficiency in the fund to be created for the project, by delivering a copy of the resolution to any member of the governing body thereof. The meeting must be held not less than thirty days after the mailing of the resolution, at which time the board shall determine whether the project is approved. If the board finds that fifty percent or more of the total votes filed are against a proposed project, then the board may not proceed further with the proposed project. If the board finds that less than fifty percent of votes filed are against the proposed project, the board may proceed with the project. In any assessment district created under this section the board may dispense with all other requirements of this chapter, other than those stated in this section. After the contract for the work has been let, the board may issue warrants on the fund of the project for the total amount of the cost thereof, and the board, without holding the hearing required by section 61-16.1-18, shall proceed to determine and levy any assessments against property benefited by the project and prepare an assessment list in accordance with the procedures required by sections 61-16.1-21 through 61-16.1-24. section 61-16.1-25 through 61-16.1-36 apply to the assessments and the special warrants issued pursuant to this section.