DRAINAGE DISTRICT ASSESSMENTS. 25 
properly brought into court, in a proceeding of this nature, he is 
bound to keep informed of the steps taken. A further reason is that 
such notice would not avail the landowner anything. Every question 
upon which he has a right to be heard has already been decided, 
so that he can not be injured, nor is his presence necessary when 
the amount of the new assessment is determined. This is a general 
rule, subject to modification according to the procedure in the various 
States. 
REASSESSMENT OF BENEFITS. 
Since the assessment of benefits usually is made before the im- 
provement is completed, errors of judgment as to the effect of the 
improvement may creep in to such an extent that a revision of the 
benefits is necessary in order to render justice to all. In other cases, 
the benefits as originally estimated have proven to be too low, and 
a revision is necessary in order to secure more funds for construc- 
tion or maintenance. To remedy such conditions some States provide 
for a reassessment of benefits. For instance, the Wisconsin drainage 
law. chapter 557, Laws of 1919, provides that at any time after the 
expiration of five years from the confirmation of the report of the 
commissioners, upon petition of the owners of at least one-tenth of 
the lands in the district, the court shall direct the commissioners to 
reassess the benefits. In case the court approves the reassessment, 
all payments thereafter made, for original construction or repair, 
shall be on the basis of the benefits as reassessed. 
Such reassessments should be undertaken only in cases of extreme 
necessity. In a number of States, especially in the West, the out- 
standing bonds are a lien upon the assessments of benefits and any 
interference with the security behind the bonds is a very serious 
matter, while to keep the aggregate amount of benefits constant and 
to redistribute such aggregate among the landowners would be to 
depart from the theory that the measure of benefits is the increased 
land value. 
MAINTENANCE ASSESSMENTS. 
A drainage improvement usually begins to deteriorate before it 
is completed and from that time maintenance requires attention and 
expenditure of funds. In many States the law provides that a sum 
sufficient to pay maintenance charges for a short period shall be in- 
cluded in the original assessments. In others provision is made for 
levying annual maintenance assessments on the basis of the original 
assessments. In still other States no provision is made for main- 
tenance. 
The secret of economical maintenance lies in continuous work. 
If the ditch or other improvement is patrolled and the small troubles 
taken care of as they develop, there will never be a necessity for 
large expenditures. Hence, some system which places a maintenance 
fund in the hands of the authorities annually gives the best results. 
It would be well so to amend drainage statutes as to make main- 
tenance obligatory with a penalty for nonperformance. 
Assessments for maintenance charges are generally on the basis 
of the original assessment, but it is allowable generally to assess 
lands not included in the original district if these be benefited by 
the maintenance work. In flat areas branch ditches and laterals 
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