41-7-302, are hereby authorized to issue warrants of said

41-7-302, are hereby authorized to issue warrants of said district bearing interest at the rate of six percent (6%) per annum up to the amount set by the judge of the district court of the judicial district wherein such district was organized for the purpose of making the surveys necessary to present their first report as provided in W.S. 41-7-305, and to defray other necessary expenses of the district, prior to the said first report and the assessment of benefits, upon complying with the procedure set out hereinafter.  41-7-502. Petition for authority to issue warrants; notice of hearing; objections.

Whenever the commissioners of an irrigation district, after their appointment and qualification, shall wish to avail themselves of the provisions of W.S. 41-7-501, they shall file in the district court wherein such district was organized, a petition for authority to issue interest-bearing warrants, setting out the necessity for such issuance, the amounts of warrants to be issued and the purpose thereof; the judge of said court shall thereupon, by order, set a date for hearing said petition and notice of such hearing, setting out briefly the purpose thereof, shall be published for one (1) consecutive week in a newspaper of general circulation in the county wherein the district or the greater portion thereof is situate, the last publication of said notice shall be at least ten (10) days prior to the date set for said hearing and any protests or objections to the said petition must be in writing, setting out the grounds of such protest or objection, signed and verified by the protestant or objector, and filed in the proceeding at least five (5) days prior to the date set for said hearing.

41-7-503. Petition for authority to issue warrants; hearing generally; decree generally; appeal.

Upon the date set for the hearing of said petition, the judge shall hear evidence in support thereof and in support of any protests or objections properly filed and shall hear and determine all proper issues presented by said petition and any protests or objections which there may be and the judge shall enter his order in accord with such evidence; if, in the discretion of the court the petition should be granted he shall make his order authorizing the issuance of such interest-bearing warrants, setting the amount of such warrants which may be issued and the purpose for which such warrants may be used; such order will become final and conclusive unless appealed from within thirty (30) days of the date of its entry.

41-7-504. Effect of decree; reference to be made on warrants.

Said order shall be the authority of the said commissioners and reference shall be made thereto on all warrants issued showing the amount so authorized and the total issued to the time thereof.  41-7-505. Assessment roll when assessments not yet approved or confirmed; equalization of assessments; levy.

It shall be the duty of the commissioners of each irrigation district in which an assessment for benefits and construction has not theretofore been approved or confirmed by the court to prepare an assessment roll of said district which shall contain the name of the owner, together with a description of each tract, lot and easement of land within said district, together with the aggregate assessment levied or assessed against each lot, tract and easement of land therein. All such assessments to meet the authorized expenditures of said district shall be apportioned among the various landowners owning lands within said irrigation district in such manner that each irrigable acre of land, as returned for assessment purposes by the county assessor, and as thereafter amended or confirmed by the county board of equalization, shall bear an equal part or portion of the total of said assessments as its assessed irrigable area, as returned by the county assessor, bears to the total irrigable area of land, returned by the county assessor, within said irrigation district. Such assessment roll of the district shall be signed by the commissioners thereof and verified by any one (1) of them. On or before the fourth Monday in May of each year the commissioners of any such irrigation district shall deliver to the county commissioners of the county having jurisdiction of such irrigation district, the assessment roll of said district by filing the same in the office of the proper county clerk. The county commissioners of said county, acting as a board of equalization shall proceed to hear any and all complaints or objections thereto and correct, equalize and complete the same in such manner that said assessments listed in said assessment roll shall be equitably and ratably apportioned equally among the various irrigable lands included within said irrigation district. At the time of making the requisite tax levy for county purposes, the county commissioners of said county shall levy and assess against each tract, lot and easement of land, the respective amounts levied and assessed against the same upon said assessment roll as revised and corrected by them. Thereupon the county commissioners shall certify to and deliver said assessment roll to the county assessor of said county and in case the territory embraced in said district is located in two (2) or more counties, separate assessment rolls and proceedings shall be had and taken in each separate county, as required herein, but the assessment rate per irrigable acre as determined by the county commissioners having jurisdiction in the county in which the court proceedings are handled for said district shall be the rate per irrigable acre used by the county commissioners in all other counties in said district. Upon receipt of said assessment roll, the assessor of the county embracing any of the lands of said district shall extend upon the tax rolls of such county, the respective amounts levied against each lot, tract and easement of land as shown by said assessment roll of said district.

ARTICLE 6 - CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS WITH UNITED STATES

41-7-601. Inclusion of provisions for maintenance and reclamation of injured lands; costs.

The board of commissioners of any irrigation district, in contracting with the United States for the construction, operation and maintenance of its necessary works for the delivery and distribution of water therefrom under the provisions of the federal reclamation act and acts amendatory thereto and supplementary thereof, and the rules and regulations established thereunder, may include in said contract with the United States, a provision or provisions for the construction, operation and maintenance of any necessary drainage works which they may reasonably contemplate to be necessary for the reclamation and drainage of lands of the district affected injuriously by the seepage or percolation of waters from the irrigation works of the district or from the highlands in the district irrigated or to be irrigated, and said commissioners shall include the costs of such drainage in the "cost of construction" as defined by W.S. 41-7-305.

41-7-602. Petition for contract and assessments; hearings generally.

Whenever any contract between the United States and an irrigation district so provides, the assessment or assessments for benefits and construction against the individual tracts of land in the district, as now required under W.S. 41-7-401, may be dispensed with, and in such case the board of commissioners of the district, at any time, or after an election as provided by law has resulted in the approval of such contract, may file in the district court of the county embracing the largest acreage of the district, a petition praying in effect, that the contract and the proceedings leading up to the execution of same and the assessment for benefits and construction as requested therein may be examined, approved and confirmed by the court. The petition shall state generally that the irrigation district was duly authorized, that due and lawful proceedings were taken to execute a contract with the United States which incurred a district indebtedness for construction charges to the United States in a maximum amount to be stated, and that the assessments to be levied against the individual tracts of land under the contract do not exceed the benefits to accrue to such tracts of land, respectively, by reason of such contract. The court shall, upon presentation of such a petition, fix a time for the hearing of said petition and shall order the clerk of the court to give and publish notice of the filing of the said petition, and of the time and place fixed for the hearing thereon. The notice of such hearing shall be published three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in each county in which such district is located and shall state the time and place fixed for the hearing of the petition, the prayer thereof, and that any person interested in the subject matter of the petition may, on or before three (3) days prior to the day fixed for the hearing thereof, answer or otherwise plead thereto, and no other notice shall be required to be given of the time and place of the hearing thereon. Upon the hearing on such proceedings, the court shall disregard every error, irregularity, or omission which does not affect the substantial rights of any party, and the court may make an order confirming and approving the proceedings taken to ratify and confirm such contract and the assessments for benefits and construction as required therein. The costs of the proceedings may be allowed and apportioned among the parties thereto in the discretion of the court.

41-7-603. Order approving contract deemed conclusive; appeal.

The order confirming and approving the proceedings taken to ratify and confirm such contract and the assessment for benefits and construction as provided therein, shall be conclusive as to the regularity of all proceedings relating thereto, unless appealed from within thirty (30) days after the entry of such order.

ARTICLE 7 - POWER PROJECTS

41-7-701. Irrigation districts may undertake power projects.

Any irrigation district heretofore organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of chapter 2, Session Laws of Wyoming, Special Session, 1920, as amended, codified and compiled in W.S. 41-7-101 through 41-7-603 [§§41-7-101 through 41-7-415], as now amended, is hereby authorized and given the power to provide for the construction, building and development of suitable works and structures, and to purchase, extend, enlarge, operate and maintain constructed works and structures suitable for the operation, maintenance, development and distribution of hydroelectric energy and power.

41-7-702. Resolution of commissioners.

Whenever the commissioners of any duly organized and existing irrigation district, heretofore or hereafter organized under the laws of the state of Wyoming, shall determine by a majority vote thereof that it is and would be beneficial and for the best interest of the landowners and entrymen therein that the development and distribution of hydroelectric energy and power is feasible, necessary and required for the complete and full construction and building of appropriate irrigation works necessary and required for the improvement of the water supply for the landowners and entrymen therein, they may adopt and approve an appropriate resolution stating their determination thereof.

41-7-703. Report made to district court.

Upon the adoption of such a resolution, the said commissioners shall file an appropriate report with the district court of the county having jurisdiction of said irrigation district proceeding of the same nature and kind as provided in W.S.