A water development district board of directors may make special assessments against real property specially benefited by a project, provided that the persons seeking the assessment or an entity authorized to act on their behalf have contractually agreed to the special assessments as a means of providing local funding. There shall be filed with the water development district board of directors a petition in a form approved by the Board of Water and Natural Resources signed by sixty-six and two-thirds percent of the owners of real property to be assessed.
SDCL 46A-3E-2