Upon receiving a petition, the township board of any township may enter into a contract or make any maintenance or improvement with the allocation of cost to be spread against all of the owners in the special assessment district benefiting on a pro rata frontage basis or against each owner equally in the special assessment district benefiting. The maintenance or improvement and assessment of cost must not be completed until the township board has created the special assessment district and assessed the properties with proper notice of public hearings to all of the owners of property within the special assessment district to be benefited.