The City Council shall have the power to make special assessments for public improvements and other public purposes in accordance with the law. The whole or any part of the expense of any public improvement may be defrayed by special assessment upon the property especially benefitted in proportion to the benefits derived or to be derived.
(a) 
The City Council shall prescribe by ordinance the complete special assessment procedure governing the initiation of projects, preparation of plans and cost estimates, creation of districts, making and confirming of assessment rolls, correction of errors in the rolls, collection of assessments and any other matters concerning the making of improvements by the special assessment method. Such ordinance shall be consistent with the requirements of law and provide for the enforcement of the following restrictions:
(1) 
A meeting of the City Council to review each special assessment roll and to hear objections to the special assessments shall be held. The public notice of such a meeting shall advise all persons having objections to the special assessment roll that objections must be filed with the City Clerk in writing at or prior to the meeting of the City Council.
(2) 
No special assessment district or districts shall be created by the City Council for any one public improvement which includes property having an area in excess of twenty-five percent (25%) of the total area of the City. No public improvement project shall be divided geographically for the purpose of circumventing this provision.
(3) 
No special assessment roll shall be finally confirmed until after a meeting of the City Council has been held for the purpose of reviewing such roll, which meeting shall be held not less than ten (10) days after notice thereof has been sent by first class mail to all owners of property affected by the special assessment as shown by the current assessment roll of the City.
(4) 
No public improvement to be financed in whole or in part by special assessment shall be made before the confirmation of the special assessment roll for such improvement.
The excess by which any special assessment proves larger than the actual cost of the improvement and expenses incidental thereto may be placed in the general fund of the City if such excess is five percent (5%) or less of the assessment. Should the assessment prove larger than necessary by more than five percent (5%), the entire excess shall be refunded on a pro rata basis to the owners of the property assessed. Such refund shall be made by credit against future unpaid installments to the extent such installments then exist and the balance of such refund shall be in cash. No refunds may be made which contravene the provisions of any outstanding evidence of indebtedness secured in whole or in part by such special assessment.