§ 15-2313. Operation, maintenance, repair and extension of river

improvements.

1. The care, operation and maintenance of any works of the river
improvement district shall be subject to the control and supervision of
the department. It shall be the duty of the department to maintain any
works constructed by it in serviceable condition. To that end the
department is authorized to hire employees, purchase or rent land,
buildings, tools or machinery, to let work by contract or to carry out
projects by day labor. The procedure to be followed for the
authorization, financing and assessment of the cost of such work or
purchases shall be that specified in section 15-2303 except that
proceedings may be initiated by the department of its own motion. In
cases where a permanent maintenance or operating force is necessary, the
department may annually prepare a maintenance budget which shall be
treated as a repair project under subdivision 2 below.

2. Major repairs, alterations, extensions and improvements in any
river improvement district may be made by the department on petition
therefor and after procedure thereon similar to that specified in
section 15-2303 hereof, for original construction. If additional surveys
are required, they may be authorized and paid for as provided in section
15-2303 hereof, except that the cost of surveys and other expenses may
be included in the cost of the improvement and assessed on the
properties benefited in accordance with the benefits to be derived from
such improvements. Except where the department shall otherwise
determine, the cost of improvements and repairs on works already built
under the provisions of title 23 of this article, shall be assessed in
the same manner as the original cost was assessed, but the department
may make a new assessment by following the procedure above specified.
Any such project for repairs, alterations, extensions and improvements
may be initiated by the department.