(a) Excess or deficiency of receipts. If the receipts from the annual charges provided for in section 9 or referred to in section 22 of this chapter [this article] amount in any year to more than is required for the purposes thereof, the surplus shall be credited to the annual charges of the next succeeding year. If said receipts in any year, including any surplus added in any preceding year, amount to less than is required for the aforesaid purposes, the deficiency shall be added to the annual charges of the next succeeding year unless the electors in town meeting order the town council to make a special sewer assessment upon those subject to the annual charges in an amount sufficient to satisfy such deficiency. Such special sewer assessment shall be made immediately thereafter by the town council and shall be at rates proportionate to the annual charges and in an amount sufficient to satisfy such deficiency. In prescribing annual charges for the next succeeding year, any surplus or deficiency under this paragraph shall be credited or added pro rata among the annual charges for items other than debt service, the annual charges for district one (1) debt service and the annual charges for district two (2) debt service and the surplus or deficiency shall be taken to be in the amount estimated by the town council at the time of such prescription.
(b) Certification and collection of special sewer assessments. When the town council shall have completed said special sewer assessments ordered by the electors as aforesaid, it shall sign and deliver a certified copy of said special sewer assessments to the town treasurer who shall forthwith certify said assessments to the tax collector. Within ten (10) days thereafter the tax collector shall give notice to the owners of lands so assessed of such sewer assessment by advertisement in some public newspaper published in the City of Newport and said tax collector shall without further warrant collect said sewer assessments at the times directed by this chapter. Each special assessment made by the town council pursuant to this section shall be a lien upon the lands, buildings and improvements upon which it is made in the same way and manner as taxes assessed on real estate but such lien shall not expire until the assessment with all interest, costs and penalties thereon is paid in full, and such special assessments shall be due and payable at the time regular town taxes or installments thereof are first due and payable next after receipt by the town treasurer of said certified copy of said assessment, without provision for installment payment of said assessments. If said assessments are not paid as required by this chapter [this article], they shall be collected in the same manner that regular taxes assessed on real estate are by law collected. Interest at the rate per annum fixed for nonpayment of the regular town taxes shall be charged and collected upon all overdue assessments from the date they become payable until they are paid. (P.L. 1958, ch. 138, § 1; P.L. 1960, ch. 205, § 4.)