1. Within thirty days after qualifying, as provided for in section 245.115, the commissioners shall begin their duties. They may at any time call upon the attorney of the district for legal advice and information relative to their duties, and the chief engineer or one of his assistants shall accompany the commissioners at all times and shall render his opinion in writing when called for. The commissioners shall proceed to view the premises and determine the value of all land and other property, within or without the district, to be acquired and used for rights-of-way, or other works set out in the plan for reclamation. They shall assess the amount of benefits, and the amount of damages, if any, that will accrue to each governmental lot, including all property owned by the state or other political subdivision, forty-acre tract or other subdivision of land according to ownership, railroad and other rights-of-way, railroad roadways and other property from carrying out and putting into effect the plan for reclamation heretofore adopted. The commissioners in assessing the benefits to lands, public highways, railroad and other rights-of-way, railroad roadways and other property not traversed by such works and improvements as provided for in the plan for reclamation shall not consider what benefits will be derived by such property after other levees, ditches, improvements or other plans for reclamation shall have been constructed, but they shall assess only such benefits as will be derived from the construction of the works and improvements set out in the plan for reclamation, or as the same may afford protection from overflow of such property. The commissioners shall give due consideration and credit to any other levee, ditch or other systems of reclamations which may have already been constructed and which afford partial or complete protection to any tract or parcel of land in the new district, and if the commissioners shall find that any levee or other works have been constructed under any general or special law of this state, which can be used in making the levees and improvements herein contemplated, they shall include the same in their report, and thereafter the board of supervisors may order such levees or such works to be used, so far as they extend, for the purpose of the levee district in which they are situated, and that the district or other owners of such levee or other improvements or persons having an interest in same by virtue of having contributed money, material or labor in the construction of the same, shall be allowed in proportion to the interest held or owned in said levees or improvements, a compensation which shall not exceed the amount of such levee district’s indebtedness as evidenced by outstanding scrip, bonds or other evidences of indebtedness. The railroad and other rights-of-way, railroad and other property shall be assessed according to the increased physical efficiency and decreased maintenance cost by reason of the protection to be derived from the proposed works and improvements. The commissioners shall have no power to change the plan for reclamation heretofore provided for.

2. The board of commissioners shall prepare a report of their findings, which shall be arranged in tabular form, the columns of which shall be headed as follows: Column one, “owner of property assessed”; column two, “description of property assessed”; column three, “number of acres assessed”; column four, “amount of benefits assessed”; column five, “number acres taken for right-of-way”; column six, “value of property taken”; column seven, “damages”. They shall also, by and with the advice of the engineer of the district, estimate the cost of works set out in the plan for reclamation, which estimate shall include the cost of property required for rights-of-way and damages and the actual expenses of organization and administration, as estimated by the board of supervisors, and shall itemize and tabulate the same. The report shall be signed by at least a majority of the commissioners and filed in the office of the circuit clerk, in which the articles of association were filed. The secretary of the board of supervisors, or his deputy, shall accompany the commissioners while engaged in their duties, and shall perform all clerical work of the board. He shall also, under the advice, supervision and direction of the attorney for the district, prepare their report. The board of commissioners shall report to the board of supervisors the number of days each had been employed and the actual expenses incurred. Each commissioner shall be paid an amount set by the court for each day for his services, and necessary expenses in addition thereto.