The City Council is hereby authorized and empowered to lay out new highways, streets, public walks, and squares, for the use of said City, or to alter those already laid out; and to regulate and pave streets or highways and construct common sewers therein and to plant the highways, streets, public walks, and squares with trees for shade or ornament; and to fix the plans of public bridges within the City, and build or rebuild and repair the same as often as necessary, taking the same measures in all respects as are or may be directed by the laws of this State to be taken in case of highways laid out by the selectmen for the use of their towns, and to construct and repair sidewalks in the principal streets of said City and to direct in what manner and of what materials such sidewalks shall be constructed or repaired, and may assess the owners of property, through which or fronting which such sidewalks are constructed, so much of the expense thereof as said City Council shall judge said lands and property to be benefited thereby, after giving six days notice of the time and place of hearing to the parties interested, their agents, or attorneys; such assessment to be collected in the same manner as City taxes are collected. Any person or persons aggrieved by the laying out of such highways, streets, public walks, squares, or bridges, or by being assessed for sidewalks as above provided, may have the same remedy by application to the county court as is provided by law in cases of highways laid out by the selectmen.