The Mayor of the District of Columbia is authorized and directed, whenever in his judgment the same may be necessary for the public safety, health, comfort, or convenience, to construct water mains and service sewers in any street, avenue, road, or alley in the District of Columbia; and the Assessor of said District shall levy assessments for the same against abutting property in the amount and manner hereinafter prescribed.

(Apr. 22, 1904, 33 Stat. 244, ch. 1417, § 1.)

1981 Ed., § 43-1512.

1973 Ed., § 43-1510.

Office of Assessor abolished: The Office of the Assessor was abolished and the functions thereof transferred to the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia by Reorganization Plan No. 5 of 1952. All functions of the Office of the Assessor including the functions of all officers, employees and subordinate agencies were transferred to the Department of General Administration by Reorganization Order No. 3 of the Board of Commissioners, dated August 28, 1952. Reorganization Order No. 20, dated November 10, 1952, abolished the Office of the Assessor and transferred the functions to the Finance Office in the Department of General Administration. The same Order provided that an Office of the Assessor would be created in the Finance Office. Reorganization Order No. 20 was superseded and replaced by Organization Order No. 121, dated December 12, 1957, provided that the Finance Office (consisting of the Office of the Finance Officers, Property Tax Division, Revenue Division, Treasury Division, Accounting Division, and Data Processing Division) shall continue under the direction and control of the Director of General Administration, and prescribed the functions thereof. The executive functions of the Board of Commissioners were transferred to the Commissioner of the District of Columbia by § 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967. Organization Order No. 121 was revoked by Organization Order No. 3, dated December 13, 1967, Part IVC of which prescribed the functions of the Finance Office within a newly established Department of General Administration. Functions of the Finance Office as stated in Part IVC of Organization Order No. 3 were transferred to the Director of the Department of Finance and Revenue by Commissioner’s Order No. 69-96, dated March 7, 1969. Functions pertaining to centralized accounting as set forth in Commissioner’s Order No. 69-96 were transferred to the Director of the Office of Budget and Financial Management by Organization Order No. 30, dated April 5, 1972. The Office of Budget and Financial Management was replaced by Organization Order 50, dated December 31, 1974, which Order established the Office of Budget and Management Systems. The Office of Budget and Management Systems was replaced by Mayor’s Order 79-5, dated January 2, 1979, which Order established the Office of Budget and Resource Development.

Appropriations authorized: Public Law 104-194, 110 Stat. 2362, the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1997, provided for construction projects an increase of $46,923,000 (including an increase of $34,000,000 for the highway trust fund, reallocations and rescissions for a net rescission of $120,496,000 from local funds appropriated under this heading in prior fiscal years and an additional $133,419,000 in Federal funds), as authorized by §§ 43-1512 through 43-1519; §§ 43-1524, 43-1527 and 43-1654; and §§ 9-219 and 47-3404 §§ 10-619, 34-2304, 34-2405.01 through 34-2405.08; §§ 34-2413.08, 34-2408.10; and 47-3404, 2001 Ed.; including acquisition of sites, preparation of plans and specifications, conducting preliminary surveys, erection of structures, including building improvement and alteration and treatment of grounds, to remain available until expended: Provided, That funds for use of each capital project implementing agency shall be managed and controlled in accordance with all procedures and limitations established under the Financial Management System: Provided further, That all funds provided by this appropriation title shall be available only for the specific projects and purposes intended: Provided further, That notwithstanding the foregoing, all authorizations for capital outlay projects, except those projects covered by the first sentence of section 23(a) of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968, approved August 23, 1968 (82 Stat. 827; Public Law 90-495; D.C. Code, sec. 9-107.01, note), for which funds are provided by this appropriation title, shall expire on September 30, 1998, except authorizations for projects as to which funds have been obligated in whole or in part prior to September 30, 1998: Provided further, That upon expiration of any such project authorization the funds provided herein for the project shall lapse.

Public Law 104-194, 1110 Stat. 2362, the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 1997, provided for the Water and Sewer Enterprise Fund, $221,362,000 from other funds of which $41,833,000 shall be apportioned and payable to the debt service fund for repayment of loans and interest incurred for capital improvement projects.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.