(a) Within the Solano Irrigation District only, any person having an interest in any land within the district may file with the secretary, in lieu of the petition authorized by Section 25825, a verified petition alleging as to such land the following:

(1) His land, or a described portion of it, was, when it became a part of the district, irrigated from another system of works than the works of, or proposed for, the district and it has continued ever since to be so irrigated; or

(2) His land or a described portion of it was used on January 1, 1975, for residential purposes and has, after the date upon which it became part of the district as a result of the acts of a governmental entity other than the district, been irrigated or supplied water wholly or partially from a water system owned entirely by such other governmental entity; or

(3) His land or a described portion of it has never received water service from the district of any nature and the board of directors of the district has not at any time prior to filing the petition adopted a plan for future service of water to such lands, which plan may provide for the landowner to pay all costs of providing facilities to transport water from the nearest point at which the district has water available to the lands made subject to the petition; and

(4) It is appropriate to apply a special rate of assessment as provided in subdivision (c).

(b) The procedure for any such petition shall be in accordance with this article. Except that, notwithstanding other provisions of law, the notice required by this article shall be published in at least one newspaper of general circulation printed in every incorporated city with common bounds with the district and the notice shall be posted at the courthouse in Solano County, in each office of the district, and in the city hall of every incorporated city with common bounds with the district. Such publication costs incurred by the district shall be paid by the petitioner in addition to any other fee provided by this article or by law.

(c) After the conclusion of the hearing as provided in Section 25831, if the board finds that any of the land described in any petition has been irrigated, supplied as alleged or no plan for future service has been adopted, and the lands made subject to the petition are not and will not be benefited by the operations of the district in a manner that would justify their assessment at the regular rate of assessment, then the board shall determine the average annual dollar value of the benefits to the lands made subject to the petition and shall thence determine the rate necessary to raise such sum through assessments, which shall be at a rate lower than the regular rate of assessment, and the board shall enter in the minutes an order declaring the following:

(1) A finding as to the average annual dollar value of the benefits provided by the district to the lands made subject to the petition; and

(2) The assessed value of the lands made subject to the petition according to the most recent district roll; and

(3) The rate of assessment required to collect such amount specified in subdivision (1), including allowance for delinquencies as provided in Section 25801 of the Water Code of the State of California.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 25835, the special rate of assessment shall be changed only as necessary to allow for the collection of the average annual dollar value of the benefits provided to the lands made subject to the petition. If, on the petition of owners of the land made subject to a special rate or on the motion of the district itself, it is sought to redetermine the average annual dollar value of the benefits provided by the district, the determination of the board shall not be changed until notice of another hearing shall be advertised and such hearing held as provided in this article. In any action to redetermine the special rate of assessment pursuant to this subdivision initiated by the district, the district shall pay the publication costs as set forth in this section.

(Added by Stats. 1975, Ch. 710.)