§ 6.11. Sidewalk improvements; when petition unnecessary for assessment cost.

Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Charter or of any other laws, whenever the council shall find by a personal inspection by each member of the council that the public interest requires that a paved sidewalk is necessary by reason of heavy pedestrian traffic, or pedestrian safety, it may without petition order the making of such sidewalk improvement on one or both sides of such street, and assess the cost thereof against the abutting property in the same manner as such assessment would be made under petition. Whenever such improvement is made by authority of this section on only one side of a street, assessment may, if in the opinion of the council the abutting property on both sides of said street will be benefited by said improvement, be made against said abutting properties on each side of said street in the same manner as such assessment would be made if the improvement had been made on both sides. Before any order is made requiring such sidewalk improvement under the provisions of this section, the council of the Town of Chapel Hill shall give at least ten (10) days' written notice of such proposed action to each owner of property to be assessed at a public hearing to be held by the council for the purpose of considering such order at which all persons to be affected by said order shall be given the opportunity to be heard.

In ordering sidewalk improvements without a petition and in assessing the cost thereof under authority of this section, the council shall comply with the procedures provided by Article 10, Chapter 160A of the General Statutes, except those provisions relating to the petition of property owners and the sufficiency thereof. The effect of the acts of levying and confirming assessments under authority of this section shall for all purposes be the same as if the assessments were levied and confirmed under authority of and pursuant to Article 10, Chapter 160A of the General Statutes.