reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20A. Vaccination of Dogs and Cats for Rabies › §19-20A-5. Type of Vaccine to Be Furnished; Fee

It is the duty of the veterinarian, or person vaccinating each animal to furnish vaccine of a type capable of establishing and maintaining immunity for a period of not less than thirty-six months and he or she shall charge and collect a fee of not more than $8 for each animal vaccinated, if done at a clinic established by a county commission or, if vaccinated at any other place, he or she shall charge and collect a reasonable fee for his or her services.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20A. Vaccination of Dogs and Cats for Rabies › §19-20A-6. Offenses and Penalties

Whoever owns, keeps or harbors a dog or cat and fails to have such dog or cat vaccinated or revaccinated against rabies, and whoever vaccinates a dog or cat against rabies and fails or refuses to keep and report the required record of such vaccination, or fails or refuses to provide the required tag, or whoever obstructs or interferes in any way with the enforcement of any section of this article shall, upon conviction, be fined not less than $10 nor more than $50, or be confined in the county jail not less than ten days nor more than sixty days, or both.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20A. Vaccination of Dogs and Cats for Rabies › §19-20A-7. Enforcement of Article

The enforcement of the provisions of this article is in the hands of the sheriff of each county, any of his or her deputies, constables, natural resources police officers, and, if considered necessary, there shall be a special officer to be appointed by the county commission, who is authorized, empowered, and directed to inspect rabies, pick up dogs and cats and dispose of dogs which are not taxable or not vaccinated according to this article. The sheriff of each county can have one or more sittings, if considered necessary, in each district of the county, at which he or she shall be present or have present one of his or her deputies or the special officer above provided for, to take charge of all delinquent dogs and cats and homeless dogs and cats that are not vaccinated. The assessor of each county, or one of his or her deputies, shall accompany the veterinarian, doctor, or the one who administers the vaccine in these sittings for the purpose of collecting taxes on dogs. All dogs which are not vaccinated and for which taxes are unpaid become the responsibility of the sheriff to catch and dispose of as is provided by law.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20A. Vaccination of Dogs and Cats for Rabies › §19-20A-8. Vaccinated Dogs and Cats May Run at Large; Confinement May Be Required by the Commissioner of Agriculture Within the Limits of Any Quarantine Area or Locality; and Ordinances or Rules May Be Promulgated by Any County Commission or Municipality Relating to the Control and Management of Dogs Within the County; Providing Limited Exemption for Hunting and Farm Dogs From County Commission or Municipality Action

Dogs or cats vaccinated in compliance with the provisions of this article may run at large in any area or locality: Provided, That the commissioner of agriculture may, pursuant to article nine of this chapter, exercise his discretion to establish a quarantined area or locality and to require all dogs and cats within the limits of any quarantined area or locality to be confined as provided in article nine: Provided, however, That a county commission or a municipality may adopt and enforce ordinances not inconsistent with the provisions of article twenty of this chapter of the code, as it considers necessary or convenient for the control and management of all dogs in the county, or a portion thereof, vaccinated or not, except as further provided herein: Provided further, That any county commission or municipality may not adopt any ordinance which purports to keep any vaccinated dog from running at large while engaged in any lawful hunting activity; from running at large while engaged in any lawful training activity; or from running at large while engaged in any lawful herding or other farm related activity: And provided further, That the provisions of this section shall not exempt any dog from any quarantine established by or any confinement order required by the commissioner relating to the establishment of a quarantine.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20B. Spaying or Neutering of Dogs and Cats › §19-20B-2. Requirement for Adoption

(a) No person may adopt a dog or cat from an agency, including, but not limited to, an animal shelter, animal control agency or humane shelter operated by a municipality, county, or other governmental agency within the state, or a private organization operating a shelter from which animals are adopted or reclaimed, unless:
(1) The dog or cat has already been spayed or neutered;
(2) The dog or cat has been spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian while in the custody of the agency; or
(3) The new owner signs a written agreement with the agency stating that the new owner will have the dog or cat spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian:
(A) Within thirty days of the date of the adoption, if the dog or cat is sexually mature; or
(B) Within thirty days after the dog or cat reaches six months of age, if the dog or cat is not sexually mature at the time of the adoption.
(b) Any agency as set forth in subsection (a) of this section which has written policy of not permitting the adopted dog or cat from being released from the custody of the agency to the new owner until the dog or cat has been spayed or neutered, does not have to comply with the provisions of subdivision (3), subsection (a) of this section.
(c) Nothing in this section precludes the spaying or neutering of a sexually immature dog or cat at the discretion of a licensed veterinarian with the consent of the new owner.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20B. Spaying or Neutering of Dogs and Cats › §19-20B-3. Deposit

(a) If the dog or cat being adopted has not been spayed or neutered, the agency may require a deposit of not more than $50 from the new owner prior to the adoption to ensure that the dog or cat is spayed or neutered. The new owner shall receive a refund of the deposit from the agency upon providing confirmation of the spaying or neutering.
(b) If the new owner fails to have the dog or cat spayed or neutered within the time frame established in section two of this article, or if the spaying or neutering is timely performed, but the new owner fails to request the return of the deposit within an additional thirty days after the date by which the spaying or neutering is required to be performed, the deposit shall be forfeited to the agency holding the deposit and shall be used by the agency to conduct programs to spay or neuter dogs and cats or to conduct educational programs in support of the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20C. West Virginia Spay Neuter Assistance Program › §19-20C-1. West Virginia Spay Neuter Assistance Program

The Department of Agriculture shall establish a spay neuter assistance program that provides grants to nonprofit spay neuter organizations and programs in the state. The purpose of this program is to have more dogs and cats sterilized, thereby reducing shelter populations and costs, euthanasia rates and threats to public health and safety from rabies and other problems posed by the growing population of stray, feral and abandoned dogs and cats.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20C. West Virginia Spay Neuter Assistance Program › §19-20C-2. Fund Established; Acceptance of Funds

(a) There is created in the State Treasury a special revenue account to be designated the West Virginia Spay Neuter Assistance Fund and administered by the Commissioner of Agriculture. Expenditures from the fund are for the purposes set forth in this article and are to be made in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature and in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twelve of this code and upon the fulfillment of the provisions set forth in article two, chapter eleven-b of this code.
(b) All moneys received and collected pursuant to this article shall be deposited into the fund. The fund may receive any appropriations, gifts, grants, contributions or other money from any source that is designated for deposit into the fund.
(c) Administrative expenses of the department may not exceed ten percent of the funds deposited in any fiscal year. The remainder shall be used exclusively for implementation of the program.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20C. West Virginia Spay Neuter Assistance Program › §19-20C-3. Rulemaking; Annual Report

(a) The commissioner shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with 29A-3-1
et seq
. of this code to implement the provisions of this article.
(b) Rules promulgated under this section shall, at a minimum:
(1) Identify the types of nonprofit organizations and programs that qualify for spay neuter grants;
(2) Establish parameters for spay neuter grants;
(3) Establish procedures and requirements for grant applications; and
(4) Establish administration, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements for nonprofit organizations and programs that receive spay neuter grants.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20D. Private Cause of Action for the Humane Destruction of a Dog › §19-20D-1. Purpose

The purpose of this article is to protect the public by providing a private cause of action seeking euthanasia of a dog in magistrate court to a person who has been attacked by a dog resulting in personal injuries requiring medical treatment which cost $2,000 or more, or who has been attacked by the dog and the dog had attacked a person causing personal injury which required medical treatment within the previous twelve months.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20D. Private Cause of Action for the Humane Destruction of a Dog › §19-20D-2. Procedure; Petition to Magistrate Court; Elements of Action; Burden of Proof; Attorney Fees; Limitation of Action

(a) A person seeking relief under this article may apply to the magistrate court in the county where the dog owner resides, or the county where the injury occurred, by verified petition setting forth and affirming the following:
(1) That the owner of the dog resides in the county where the petition is filed or the attack giving rise to the action occurred in the county where the petition is filed;
(2) That the petitioner was:
(A) Attacked by the dog and the attack resulted in personal injuries requiring medical treatment in the amount of $2,000 or more; or
(B) Attacked by the dog and the dog had engaged in a separate attack on a person causing personal injury requiring medical treatment within the previous twelve months; and
(3) That the petitioner did nothing to provoke the dog.
(b) The petition and summons shall be served on the respondent in the manner set forth in Rule 4 of the West Virginia Rules of Civil Procedure.
(c) The petitioner must prove the allegations in the petition by clear and convincing evidence.
(d) The prevailing party is entitled to an award of reasonable attorney fees and costs.
(e) The limitations of the cause of action in this article are as follows:
(1) Relief, other than attorney fees and costs in subsection (d) of this section, is limited to an order directing that the owner of the dog have the dog euthanized; and
(2) The cause of action provided by this article does not establish statutory liability nor does it supplant a common law negligence cause of action.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 20D. Private Cause of Action for the Humane Destruction of a Dog › §19-20D-3. Order of the Magistrate Court

(a) If the trier of fact finds by clear and convincing evidence that the dog which is the subject of the action under this article has attacked the petitioner and caused personal injuries requiring medical treatment in the amount of $2,000 or more or that the dog attacked the petitioner and within the twelve month period prior to the attack had engaged in a separate attack causing personal injury requiring medical treatment, then the court shall order the owner of the dog to have the dog euthanized.
(b) The magistrate court shall issue and file a written order that sets forth the following:
(1) Findings of fact and conclusions of law; and
(2) If the court orders euthanasia, a specific date upon which the owner of the dog must have the euthanasia performed and a direction that documentation be mailed to the petitioner and filed with the court by a specific date showing that the procedure was performed.
(c) If the court does not order euthanasia, the court shall order that the petition be dismissed with prejudice.
(d) The court may award reasonable attorney fees and costs to the prevailing party.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-1. Jurisdiction of Circuit Courts to Organize Drainage Districts; Definition of Terms

Original jurisdiction, power and authority are hereby conferred upon all circuit courts of this state to establish and organize drainage, levee and reclamation districts in this state, and to the end that the public design and intention of this article may be carried into full force and effect, power and authority are hereby conferred upon such courts to provide ways and means consistent with the provisions of this article for the organization, operation and maintenance of drainage, levee and reclamation districts in this state.
The jurisdiction, power and authority conferred upon the circuit courts of this state by this article shall include the establishing, organizing and providing for the operation and maintenance of drainage, levee and reclamation districts in this state, which districts, when organized, shall have the power to construct all levees, ditches, drains or canals, pumping plants, floodgates, and other needed improvements, or to have constructed, straightened, widened, deepened, strengthened and improved any levee, ditch, drain, creek or water courses within this state, all for the purpose of reclaiming, draining or improving any low, wet, swampy or overflowed lands in this state, or to prevent the overflow of lands, or to protect towns, municipalities and cities from such overflow therein: Provided, however, That in so doing navigation upon navigable streams in this state shall not thereby be impaired: Provided further, That such improvement will result in public benefit, or will promote the public health, or will be conducive to the general welfare of the community in which the proposed district is established.
Whenever the words "court,""judge" and "clerk of the court" are used in this article, they shall be construed to mean "circuit court,""circuit judge" and "clerk of the circuit court," respectively, unless otherwise indicated.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-2. Proceedings Under Article Have Precedence Over Other Cases; Exceptions; Mandamus

Proceedings under the provisions of this article shall have precedence on the dockets of all circuit courts of this state over all other civil cases, except election cases and special proceedings which heretofore by other laws may have been given precedence on the courts' dockets. If the court does not act promptly in complying with the terms of this article, it may be compelled to do so by mandamus.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-3. Petition to Establish District

Proceedings to establish and organize a drainage, levee or reclamation district shall be commenced by three or more owners of real property within the proposed district, whose lands will be affected by the proposed improvement, filing a petition in the circuit court, or before the judge thereof in vacation, of the county wherein such lands and other property proposed to be organized into a drainage, levee or reclamation district are situated. Upon the filing of such petition the court, or the judge thereof in vacation, shall require a bond in sufficient penalty to be given and filed, with good and sufficient surety, and conditioned for the payment of all preliminary costs and expenses that may be incurred in case the district is not formed. If the lands to be included in the proposed district are situated in two or more counties, then the petition may be filed in the office of the clerk of the circuit court, or before the judge thereof in vacation, of either of the counties in which such lands are situated, and such court shall retain jurisdiction thereafter regardless of county lines.
The petition shall describe in a general way, and by reference to roads, streams, railroads and other landmarks, the body of land or other property proposed to be reclaimed, drained, leveed, improved and embraced within the district, and shall set forth in a general way the conditions existing and the advantages that will result from the proposed improvement. It also shall indicate opposite the name of each signer the approximate acreage of each signer which will be affected. Said petition also shall contain a prayer that the lands described therein be declared a drainage district under the provisions of this article. The petition may be amended or supplemented at any time before the drainage, levee or reclamation district is fully and completely organized.
The petition may be signed by any landowner, male or female, married or single; guardians or committees may sign for their wards, and trustees, executors and administrators may sign for the estates represented by them. If the signature of any corporation, by its authorized officer or officers, is attached thereto, attested by the corporate seal, the same shall be sufficient evidence of the assent of the corporation to such petition. Any person having signed the petition shall have no right to have such proceedings dismissed as to him without the written consent of the majority in acreage of the owners who signed the petition.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-5. Objections to Formation of Drainage District; Action of Court; Appeal; Filing of Decree in Office of Clerk of County Court [County Commission]

Any owner of real estate or other property in such proposed district who may not have signed the petition and who objects to the organization and formation of the proposed drainage district shall, on or before the first day of the term of court at which the cause is to be heard, file his objection or objections to the organization of such proposed drainage district. Such objection or objections shall be limited to a denial of the statements in the petition and shall be heard by the court in a summary manner without unnecessary delay, and in case all such objections are overruled, if the court shall be of the opinion that the establishment of a drainage district will be to the advantage of the owners of real property therein, or will be conducive to the public health, utility, convenience and public welfare, it shall, without making further inquiry, enter an order establishing a district, which district shall have the power and authority to acquire, hold and convey property, levy taxes and collect the same, and shall have all the powers and authority necessary to carry out the provisions of this article, and may sue and be sued under the name and style of .............. drainage district. Such order shall have all the force and effect of a judgment. If the court finds that the property set out in the petition should not be organized into a drainage district, it shall dismiss such proceedings and adjudge the costs against the signers of the petition in proportion to the acreage represented by each petitioner. Any owner of real property within the district may appeal from the judgment of the court within twenty days after the same has been made, but if no appeal is taken within that time such judgment shall be deemed conclusive and binding upon all the real property within the bounds of the district and upon the owners thereof, and any owner of property in the district may within a like time appeal from an order refusing to establish such district. Such appeals must be accompanied by a bond approved by the court conditioned for the payment of costs if the appeal should be decided against the appellant. If the court orders the drainage district established, a copy of the findings and decree of the court shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the county court in each of the counties having lands and other property in such drainage district where the same shall become a permanent record.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-6. First Meeting of Owners; Election of Board of Supervisors

Within thirty days after any drainage district shall have been organized and established under the provisions of this article the circuit clerk of the court organizing such district shall call a meeting of the owners of real estate or other property situate in such district, at a day and hour specified, in some public place in the county in which the district was organized, for the purpose of electing a board of three supervisors, to be composed of owners of real estate in such district, two of whom at least shall be residents of the county or counties in which such district is situate, or some adjoining counties. Notice of such meeting shall be given by such clerk by causing publication thereof to be made as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be each county in which lands of the district are situate. The last publication shall be at least ten days before the day of such meeting. The landowners, when assembled, shall organize by the election of a chairman and a secretary of the meeting who shall conduct the election. At such election each owner shall be entitled to one vote in person or by proxy for every acre of land or mile of right-of-way owned by him in such district, and the three persons receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected as supervisors. Such supervisors shall immediately by lot determine the terms of their office, which shall be respectively one, two and three years, and they shall serve until their successors shall have been elected and qualified.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-7. Annual Meeting of Owners; Election of Supervisor

In the same month of each year after the election of the first board of supervisors, the board of supervisors shall call a meeting of the owners of land and other property herein described in the district by publication, in the same manner as provided for in section six, and such owners shall meet at the time and place fixed by the board of supervisors and elect one supervisor therefor in like manner as prescribed in the preceding section, who shall hold his office for three years or until his successor is elected and qualified; and in case of a vacancy in the office of supervisor, the remaining supervisors may fill such vacancy by appointment until the next annual meeting, when a successor shall be elected for the unexpired term: Provided, That after the report of the appraisers has been confirmed by the court under the provisions of section fifteen, only owners of land and other such property having benefits assessed against it shall be entitled to vote at the annual meetings held under the provisions of this section.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-8. Oath of Supervisor; Effect of Failure to Qualify

Each supervisor before entering upon his official duties shall take and subscribe to an oath before some officer authorized by law to administer oaths, that he will honestly and impartially perform the duties devolving upon him in office as supervisor of the drainage district in which he was elected, and that he will not neglect any of the duties imposed upon him by this article. Any supervisor-elect who fails to qualify by taking such oath and filing the same in the office of the secretary of the drainage district within ten days after his election shall be deemed to have declined such election, and the vacancy shall be filled as herein provided.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-9. Organization of Board of Supervisors; Duties and Compensation

The board of supervisors immediately after their election shall choose one of their number president of the board, and elect some suitable person secretary who may or may not be a member of the board. Such board shall adopt a seal with a suitable device, and shall keep a record of all its proceedings, as hereinafter provided, which shall be open to the inspection of all owners of real estate and other property herein described of the district, as well as to all other interested parties. The board shall report to the landowners at the annual meeting held under the provisions of section seven of this article what work has been done, either by the engineers or otherwise. The members of the board shall receive, for attending to business for and in behalf of such district, actual transportation expenses, which shall be audited by the board before payment and each member shall receive $4 dollars per day as compensation for his services while actually engaged in work for the district: Provided, however, That if the secretary be a member of the board, he shall be entitled to compensation as hereinafter provided.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-10. Appointment, Powers and Duties of Chief Engineer; Adoption of Plan for Reclamation

Within thirty days after organizing, the board of supervisors shall appoint a competent civil and drainage engineer as chief engineer, who may be an individual, copartnership, or corporation. The chief engineer may, by and with the consent of the board of supervisors, consult any eminent engineer or engineers and obtain his or their opinion and advice concerning the reclamation of the lands in the district. He shall have authority to engage such assistants as may be needed. He shall make all necessary surveys of the lands within the boundary lines of such district, as described by the petition, and of all lands adjacent thereto that may or will be improved or reclaimed in part or in whole by any system of drainage or levees that may be outlined and adopted, and such engineer shall make a report in writing to the board of supervisors with maps and profiles of such surveys, which report shall present a plan for draining, leveeing and reclaiming the lands and property described in the petition or adjacent thereto from overflow or damage by water. Such maps and profiles shall also indicate as far as necessary the physical characteristics of the lands and location of any public roads, railroads, other public utilities, and other rights- of-way, roadways, and other property and improvements located on such lands. The chief engineer shall make a report in writing to the board of supervisors, showing the progress that has been made at such times as the board may require. When the final report of the chief engineer is submitted the board of supervisors shall have authority to employ a reputable consulting engineer or engineers to pass on the adequacy of the proposed improvements as covered in the chief engineer's report and plans. When the board is satisfied of the adequacy of the plans it shall adopt the report and plans and thereafter such adopted report shall be the plan for draining, leveeing or reclaiming such lands and other property from overflow or damage by water, and it shall after such adoption be known and designated as "the plan for reclamation," which plan shall be filed with the secretary of the board of supervisors and by him copied into the records of the district.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-11. Tax Levy to Pay Preliminary Expenses; Delinquent Tax as Lien on Property; Disposition of Funds

For the purpose of paying expenses incurred or to be incurred in organizing such district, making surveys of the same, assessing benefits and damages, and to pay other expenses necessary to be incurred, before the board of supervisors shall be empowered by subsequent provisions of this article to provide funds to pay the total cost of works and improvements of the district, the board of supervisors of any drainage district organized under the provisions of this article shall, as soon as elected and qualified, levy a uniform tax of not more than 50¢ per acre upon each acre of land and each mile of right-of-way within such district, as shown by preliminary report of the engineer required by section four of this article. In case the boundary lines of the district shall be extended under the provisions of a subsequent section of this article so as to include lands and other property not described in the petition, the same uniform tax shall be made on such lands and other property as soon as the same shall have been made and included in the district. In case lands are included in the district and assessed in accordance with this provision which it subsequently develops should not have been included, taxes collected from such lands shall be returned to the owners of such lands. Such tax shall be due and payable as soon as assessed and if not paid within sixty days after the tax has been levied the same shall become delinquent. It shall become a lien on the land and other property against which it has been assessed and the delinquent list shall be certified by the secretary of the district to the sheriff of the county wherein the property so assessed is situated, and the same shall be collected by the sheriff in the same manner as state and county taxes, and bear the same penalty. In case the sum received from such assessment exceeds the total cost of items for which the same has been levied, the surplus shall be placed in the General Fund of the district and used to pay cost of construction: Provided, That if the district be dissolved before the improvements are completed, the amount of the surplus, if there be any, shall be prorated and refunded to the landowners paying such uniform tax.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-12. Board of Appraisers

After the board of supervisors has adopted the plan for reclamation the secretary of such board shall file a certified copy of same, together with a copy of the order of such board approving "the plan for reclamation," with the clerk of the circuit court in which the district was organized. The court shall then in term time, or the judge in vacation, by an order, appoint a board of three appraisers who are in no way interested in such proceedings, for the purpose of assessing benefits and damages that may result from the making of the improvements described and set forth in "the plan for reclamation" approved by the board of supervisors. The secretary of the board of supervisors shall transmit to such board of appraisers a certified copy of the petition and of "the plan for reclamation," which has been approved by the board of supervisors. The members of the board of appraisers, at a meeting to be held within ten days after their appointment, shall each take and subscribe to an oath before the clerk of the court that they will faithfully and impartially discharge their duties and make a true report of the work done by them. If any person appointed as an appraiser fails to take the oath within the prescribed time, he shall be deemed as having declined the appointment and the court or judge shall make further appointment either in term time or vacation. They shall at the same meeting organize by electing one of their number as chairman. A majority of said board of appraisers shall constitute a quorum and shall control the action of the board on all questions. The secretary of the board of supervisors shall furnish to the board of appraisers a complete list of lands and corporate and other property described in the petition.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-14. Publication of Appraisers' Report

Upon the filing of the report of the appraisers, the clerk of such court shall give notice thereof by causing publication of such report to be made as a Class II-O legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty- nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be each county in the district. Notice shall be in form as follows:
NOTICE OF FILING OF APPRAISERS' REPORT.
For ............ Drainage District.
Notice is hereby given to all persons interested in any land and property included within ............... Drainage District in ................ county (or counties), West Virginia, that the appraisers heretofore appointed to assess benefits and damages to the property and lands situated in such drainage district and to appraise the cash value of the land necessary to be taken for rights-of-way and other works of such district, within or without the limits of such district, filed their report in this office on the ........ day of ..........., 19 ....., as follows: (Here insert report of appraisers.) And you and each of you are hereby notified that you may examine such report and file exceptions to all or any part thereof, as provided by law.
................................
Clerk of the Circuit Court of ............. County, West Virginia.
Provided, That where lands in different counties are contained in such report, it shall not be necessary to publish in each county the appraisers' report on all of such lands in such district, but only that part relating to property situate in the respective counties.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-16. Assessment of Damages by Jury

Any property owner may accept the assessment of damages in his favor made by the appraisers, or acquiesce in their failure to assess damages in his favor, and shall be construed to have done so unless he gives to such board of supervisors, within thirty days after the assessment is filed, notice in writing that he demands an assessment of damages by a jury, in which event the board of supervisors shall institute in the circuit court an action to condemn the lands that must be taken or damaged in the making of such improvement, which action shall be in accordance with the proceedings for condemnation of rights-of-way by railroad, telegraph and telephone companies, with the right of paying into court a sum to be fixed by the circuit court or judge and of proceeding with the work before assessment by the jury. If there is more than one claimant to the lands and to the fund paid into court, all claimants may be made parties defendant in such suit, leaving the claimants to contest in that action their respective rights to the fund.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-17. Powers of Board of Supervisors; Letting of Contracts; Persons to Whom Contract May Not Be Awarded; Payments to Contractors

The board of supervisors of such district shall have full power and authority to build, construct, excavate and complete all or any works and improvements which may be needed to carry out, maintain and protect "the plan for reclamation." To accomplish that end such board of supervisors is hereby authorized and empowered to employ men and teams and to purchase machinery, employ men to operate the same and directly have charge of and construct the works and improvements, or by the use of other or more efficient means than provided for in the plans adopted. They may, in their discretion, let contracts for such works and improvements, either as a whole or in sections, and when such contract or contracts are to be let, they shall be advertised and let to the lowest and best bidder, who shall give a good and approved bond, in an amount equal to the contract price, with ample security, conditioned that the contractor will well and promptly carry out the contract for such work and improvements. The contract shall be in writing, and there shall be attached thereto and made a part thereof complete plans and specifications of the work to be done and the improvements to be made under such contract, which plans and specifications shall be prepared by the chief engineer, and before the work is commenced the contract shall be approved by the board of supervisors and signed by the president of the board and the contractor, and shall be executed in duplicate. No supervisor, secretary, treasurer, or engineer of any drainage district shall be awarded any such contract, or have any interest in the profits thereof, either directly or indirectly. The chief engineer shall be the superintendent of construction of all the works and improvements, and shall, whenever required, and at least once each year, make a full report to such board of all work done and improvements made, and make such suggestions and recommendations to the board as he may deem proper.
It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors to have the amount of work performed by any contractor estimated from time to time, as may be desirable, by the chief engineer, and the board shall draw its warrants in favor of the contractor for not more than eighty percent of the amount of work so required, reserving the remainder until it has been ascertained that the work has been completed according to contract, and is free from liens.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-18. Levying of Tax to Pay Costs of Completion; Tax Lien

After the lists of lands and other property, with the assessed benefits and the decree and judgment of court, have been filed in the office of the clerk of the county court of each county in which any of such lands are situate, as provided in section fifteen of this article, then the board of supervisors shall without any unnecessary delay, levy a tax of such portion of such benefits on all lands and other property in the district to which benefits have been assessed as may be found necessary by the board of supervisors to pay the costs of the completion as shown in "the plan for reclamation" and in carrying out the objects of such district, plus ten percent of such total amount for emergencies. The taxes so levied shall be a lien upon all the real property in the district from the time the same is levied, and shall be entitled to preference over all demands, encumbrances, executions or liens whatsoever except state and county taxes, and shall continue until such taxes, with any penalty and costs that may accrue thereon, shall have been paid. The tax shall be apportioned to and levied on each tract of land or other property in such district in proportion to the benefits assessed and not in excess thereof, and in case bonds are issued as hereinafter provided, then the amount of the interest, as estimated by the board of supervisors, which will accrue on such bonds shall be included and added to such tax, but the interest to accrue on account of the issuing of such bonds shall not be construed as a part of the costs of construction in determining whether or not the expenses and costs of making such improvements are or are not equal to or in excess of the benefits assessed. Within thirty days after the assessment of benefits is made and the amount of taxes to be levied against each piece of property has been determined, the property owners shall have the privilege of paying such taxes in full. The secretary of the board of supervisors, as soon as such total tax is levied, shall, at the expense of the district, prepare a list of all taxes levied, in the form of a well-bound book, which book shall be indorsed and named "drainage tax record of ............................... drainage district .....................," which indorsement shall also be printed or written at the top of each page in such book and shall be signed and certified by the president and secretary of the board of supervisors, attested by the seal of the district, and the same shall thereafter become a permanent record in the office of the secretary.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-20. Collection of Taxes

It shall be the duty of the sheriff of each county in which lands or other property of any drainage district organized under this article are situate, to receive the "drainage tax book" each year, and he is hereby empowered and it shall be his duty to promptly and faithfully collect the tax therein set out and to exercise all due diligence in so doing. He is further directed and ordered to demand and collect such taxes at the same time that he demands and collects state and county taxes due on the same and other properties. Where any tract or part thereof has been divided and sold or transferred, the sheriff shall receive taxes on any part of any tract, or parcel of land, or other property charged with such taxes and give his receipt accordingly. The certificate and "drainage tax book" herein provided for shall be the warrant and authority of the sheriff for making such demand and collection. The sheriff shall make due return of all "drainage tax books" each year to the secretary of the board of supervisors of the aforesaid drainage district, and shall pay over and account for all moneys collected thereon at the end of each month to the treasurer of such district, and shall make an annual return of same at the close of each year. The sheriff shall, in such "drainage tax book," verify such return by affidavit. The secretary shall each year, within ten days after the annual return of such sheriff is delivered to him prepare and certify to such sheriff a "drainage back tax book" containing the list of lands and other property so returned by such sheriff as delinquent, deliver the same to him and take his receipt therefor, and such sheriff shall proceed to collect such delinquent drainage taxes and demand payment therefor in the same manner as hereinafter provided. Before receiving the aforesaid "drainage tax book" the sheriff of each county in which lands or other property of the drainage district are located shall execute to the board of supervisors of the district a bond with at least two good and sufficient sureties in a sum that is equal to the probable amount of any annual installment of such tax to be collected by him during any one year, conditioned that such sheriff shall pay over and account for all taxes so collected by him according to law. Such bond, after approval by the board of supervisors, shall be deposited with the secretary of the board, who shall be custodian thereof, and who shall produce the same for inspection and use as evidence whenever and wherever lawfully requested so to do. Whenever the sheriff shall give such bond with a fidelity and indemnity company as surety, the drainage district shall pay such premium thereon as may be provided by law.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-22. General Conduct of Suit; Purchase by Commissioner in Name of Board of Supervisors; Redemption

Such suits shall be conducted in the name of the drainage district, and in accordance with the practice and proceedings of chancery courts in this state, except as herein otherwise provided, save that oral testimony may be heard; and this law shall be liberally construed to give to such assessment and tax lists the effect of a bona fide mortgage for valuable consideration, and a first lien upon such lands or other property as against all persons having an interest therein. In such suits it shall be sufficient to allege generally and briefly the organization of the district and the nonpayment of the taxes, setting forth the description of the lands proceeded against, and the amount chargeable to each tract, with prayer for foreclosure: Provided, That no informality or irregularity in holding any of the meetings provided for herein, or in the valuation or assessment of the lands, or in the name of the owners, or the number of acres therein, shall be a valid defense to such action; nor shall any defense to such suit be interposed save only the plea of payment: Provided further, That in any case where the lands, or other property, are offered for sale by such commissioner, as provided by this article, and the sum of the tax due, together with interest, costs and penalty, is not bid for the same, such commissioner shall bid the same off in the name of the board of supervisors of such drainage district, bidding therefor the whole amount due as aforesaid; and upon confirmation of such sale, the court shall appoint a commissioner who shall make a proper deed therefor, as in other cases under this article, conveying such land to such drainage district; and such deeds when duly executed in conformity to the provisions of this article, and recorded, shall be received as evidence in all cases showing an indefeasible title in said purchaser, unassailable in either law or equity. The former owner shall have the right to redeem any property sold at such sale within one year after the same is offered for sale by paying the purchaser the amount paid by him in the purchase of the property and any other tax thereon he may have paid, plus ten percent interest on the whole amount.
2023 West Virginia Code › Chapter 19. Agriculture › Article 21. Drainage Districts › §19-21-23. Lien of Bonds; Collection of Annual Tax to Pay Bonds; Nonpayment of Bond; Receiver

All bonds issued by supervisors under the terms of this article shall be a lien on all lands or other property so assessed in the district, and the board of supervisors shall see to it that a tax is levied annually and collected under the provisions of this article so long as it may be necessary to pay any bond issued or obligation contracted under its authority; and the making of such assessments or levy and collection may be enforced by mandamus.
If any bond or interest coupon or any bond issued by such board is not paid within thirty days after its maturity, it shall be the duty of the circuit court of the proper county, on application of any holder of such bond or interest coupon so overdue, to appoint a receiver to collect the taxes aforesaid; and the proceeds of such taxes and collections shall be applied, after payment of costs, first to overdue interest, and then to payment pro rata of all bonds issued by such board which are then due and payable; and such receiver may be directed by suit to foreclose the lien of such taxes on such lands; and the suits so brought by such receiver shall be conducted in all matters as suits by the board as hereinbefore provided, and with like effect, and the decrees and deed therein shall have the same presumptions in their favor: Provided, however, That when all such past due sums have been paid, the receiver shall be discharged, and the affairs of the district conducted by the board of supervisors of such district as hereinbefore provided.