a. Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, the expense of the operation and maintenance of such water systems, waterworks and pumping stations shall be met by taxes to be assessed and levied on the property lying and being in the water district or districts, and such assessment and levy shall be made and such taxes collected as other taxes.

Except as provided in subsection b. of this section, whenever a water district shall have been established, and the municipality in which such water district is situate has issued bonds and notes in order to refund existing indebtedness of such water district, for capital improvements or for any other reason, the money required to meet such obligations shall be raised by taxation by levying a district tax against all taxable property situate within said water district. The amount of money necessary to be raised each year for the purpose of paying such obligations shall be certified to the tax collector by the municipal clerk after determination by resolution of the governing body of the municipality in which said water district is situate; the said tax collector shall collect said taxes in the same manner as other taxes are collected.

b. Property lying within a water district shall be exempt from the assessments authorized by subsection a. of this section if:

(1) The water supplied by the water district is not reasonably available to the owner of the property; and

(2) Prior to each annual assessment the governing body of the municipality where the water district is located determines that the exemption would not adversely affect the ability of the municipality to meet principal reduction and interest payments on outstanding bonds issued by the municipality for the reasons specified in subsection a. of this section.

Amended by L. 1938, c. 253, p. 562, s. 1, eff. May 25, 1938; L. 1985, c. 191, s. 2, eff. June 20, 1985.