Enlargement of drains; appointment of committee; report to commissioners; letting contract; contractor’s bond; payments; assessment.

Whenever the board of county commissioners shall have determined upon a petition, filed as provided in s. 157.16, to enlarge or deepen any drain, they shall appoint a committee of the three competent and disinterested persons who are citizens of the county, who shall cause an accurate survey to be made of the proposed work, and shall establish the depth or width to which the same shall be deepened and shall make and present to the county commissioners at their next regular meeting, an estimate of the cost of said work, and upon the report of said committee to them, said county commissioners shall advertise not less than 2 weeks in a newspaper published in the county, for bids on said work, to be given to the lowest responsible bidder, with the privilege of rejecting all bids that may be offered, should the same be considered unreasonable; and in case the said bids are rejected, they may again advertise for further bids. The said board of county commissioners shall require of the person whose bid is accepted for said work a good and sufficient bond for the faithful performance of said contract, which said work shall be done under the supervision of the committee appointed as aforesaid. When the work shall be completed the committee shall certify the same to the board of county commissioners who shall also inspect such work before final payment is made to the contractor, and such confirmation with the report of the committee that the work has been done according to contract, shall be made a matter of record; provided, that nothing in this chapter shall prevent the county commissioners from making payments in installments during the progress of the work, if deemed expedient. Before letting such contract, the committee appointed by the commissioners shall view the lands to be benefited by the enlargement or deepening of said drain or auxiliary and assess each parcel according and in proportion as each shall be benefited, both those lands lying immediately along such ditch, drain or canal, and those adjacent thereto, for all the expenses that may be incurred in the enlarging or deepening of said drain and keeping the same in repair from year to year, and shall file a report of the same with the board of county commissioners, which said report shall show the several tracts of lands assessed and the names of the owners thereof, and the amounts assessed against each tract; provided, however, that if the owners of any tract cannot be ascertained by diligent inquiry, said tract shall be assessed as unknown.