Petition for improvement; publication; withdrawal and addition of names

Whenever the owners of sixty percent or more of the real property abutting on any street or portion thereof present a petition to the governing authority requesting a local improvement for the street or portion thereof upon which their properties abut, the governing authority shall have the petition published in English in the official journal of the municipality four times within fifteen days. At any time on or before the tenth day following the last publication of the petition property owners may withdraw their signatures from the petition, and at any time on or before twenty days following the date of last publication, any property owners of abutting property within the limits of the proposed improvements may add their signatures to the petition. The withdrawals and additions shall not necessitate the republication of the petition. If, at the expiration of the time for withdrawing signatures from the petition or at the expiration of the time for adding signatures, the petition as modified represents not less than sixty per cent of the total property frontage included within the limits of the proposed improvement, the governing authority shall, by ordinance, direct the proportions, plans, and specifications for the improvements petitioned for, call for bids for the work specified, and set a date, hour and place for receiving and opening the bids. The ordinance shall be published at least twice in the official journal of the municipality, the first publication to be not less than ten days prior to the date fixed for the reception of bids. The governing authority shall let the contract to the lowest bidder who can furnish satisfactory security, but may reject all bids, in which case the municipality may purchase the material and have the work done, provided that no material shall be so purchased at a cost higher than that specified in the bid of the lowest private bidder.