Whenever any payer of a diking, drainage, or sewerage improvement district maintenance assessment believes that, through obvious error in name, number, description, amount of benefit valuation, double assessment, or extension, or other obvious error, property on which he or she has paid an assessment has been erroneously assessed, he or she may pay such assessment under protest. If, within thirty days after such payment under protest, he or she files with the board a written verified petition setting out his or her name, address, and legal description of the property, the nature of the obvious error alleged to have been made, and the date and amount of any assessment paid thereon, the board shall cause such claim to be investigated. If upon investigation any assessment is found to be erroneous through obvious error, the board shall order such assessment to be corrected if no bond or long term warrant issue is affected. Where correction is ordered of an erroneous assessment already collected, the auditor, upon receipt of a certified copy of the board's order of correction, shall refund to the person paying the assessment the difference between the correct assessment and the erroneous assessment, plus legal interest on such difference from date of payment, by a warrant drawn on the maintenance fund of the district.