Whenever a liaison of Buildings and Grounds of the Township
certifies to the governing body that any sidewalks and curbs are in
need of construction, repair, alteration, relaying or maintaining,
the expense of said construction, repairing, altering, relaying or
maintaining, shall be borne by the landowners abutting the improvement.
The Mayor and Township Committee upon receipt of the certification set forth in §
57-16 shall determine the necessity of said improvement, and, if it deems that said improvement is necessary, it shall, by resolution, cause a notice, in writing, to be served upon said abutting owners or occupants of said lands, requiring the necessary work to said curb, sidewalk or both to be done by said owner or occupant within a period of not less than thirty (30) days from the date of service of such notice. All such work shall be done in accordance with plans, specifications and grades approved by the Township Engineer.
Whenever any said abutting lands are unoccupied and the owner
cannot be found within the municipality, the same may be mailed, postage
prepaid, to his or her post office address, if the same can be ascertained.
In the event that such owner is a nonresident of the municipality,
or his or her post office address cannot be ascertained, then the
notice may be inserted for four (4) weeks, once a week, in the official
newspaper of the Township.
In the event that the owner or occupant of such abutting lands
shall not comply with the requirements of said notice, it shall be
lawful for the Township, upon filing due proof of the service of publication
of the aforesaid notice in the appropriate department of the municipality,
to cause the work required to be done and paid for out of municipal
funds available for that purpose. The cost of such work shall be certified
by the Commissioner of Buildings and Grounds to the Tax Collector.
Upon filing said certificate of costs, the amount of the cost of such
work shall be and become a lien upon the said abutting lands in front
of which such work was done to the same extent that assessments for
local improvements are liens in the municipality and shall be collected
in the manner provided by law for the collection of such other assessments
and shall bear interest at the same rate. In addition thereto, the
Township may commence, in any court having competent jurisdiction
thereof, an action against the owner of said lands to recover said
amount.