§8-17-4. Petition and bond; action of governing body; memorandum of engineer.

Upon the filing of a written petition for the making of an improvement, together with the bond hereinafter described, by (1) a petitioner stating in said petition the willingness of said petitioner to pay all of the total cost of said improvement, or (2) a petitioner owning the greater amount of frontage of property abutting upon any portion of a street, alley, public way or easement, or sewer right-of-way or easement, upon or in which said improvement is to be made, the governing body shall, by ordinance or resolution, order the engineer to investigate the improvement and to prepare a memorandum describing the portions of the streets, alleys, public ways or easements, or sewer rights-of-way or easements, proposed to be improved, and certifying the reasonable necessity of the improvement, the plans and specifications for the improvement and a list of all items comprising the total cost of the improvement, with an estimate of the cost of each item.

There shall be stated, specified or described in the petition the name and mailing address of the petitioner, the part or parts of the therein named streets, alleys, public ways or easements, or sewer rights-of-way or easements, desired improved, the improvement desired and whether the petitioner will pay all of the total cost or whether he desires the total cost to be apportioned among all of the abutters. In any case where two or more petitioners file the petition and it is stated therein that they intend to pay all of the total cost of the improvement, it shall also be stated therein either that they desire to have such total cost apportioned among them on a pro rata basis of their abutting footages according to a list of such footages compiled by them and contained in the petition or that they desire to pay such total cost according to a list of percentage shares formulated by them and contained in the petition.

Any petition filed under the provisions of this article shall be signed by the petitioner. A bond shall be given by the petitioner with good security to be approved by the governing body in the penal sum of $1,000. The bond shall bind the petitioner (jointly and severally, in the case of more than one petitioner) to pay all charges and assessments imposed upon such petitioner under the provisions of this article.