The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), unlike most water and sewer utilities, constructs not only its major transmission lines but also most smaller water and sewer mains serving local residential and business communities. These main lines are required to transport water to individual properties and/or return sewage to our wastewater treatment plants. To recover its cost for the construction and financing of the water and sewer lines, the State of Maryland has authorized WSSC to levy a “front foot benefit charge” (FFBC) to those properties benefiting from their construction. These properties include not only those that connect to WSSC’s water and/or sewer lines, but also those simply abutting the lines, because the availability of public water and/or sewer enhances property values. According to the Public Utilities Article, § 25-202, Annotated Code of Maryland, “the construction, replacement or enlargement of, or the installation of a service connection to, a water main or sewer benefits each property that abuts on, is connected to, or is served by the water main or sewers.” (Amended during 2019 codification; Property assessments manual § 1.0, dated October 1998)