[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of Jackson
Township as indicated in part histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-20-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
The purpose of this Part 1 is to establish the Jackson Township
Impact Fee Program, including a transportation capital improvements
plan, to ensure that the transportation system is available and adequate
to support existing volumes of traffic and traffic projected to be
generated by new growth and development. To advance this objective,
the Jackson Township Impact Fee Program shall be based upon the imposition
of an impact fee payable to the Township at the time of building permit
issuance. Additionally, the program identifies existing deficiencies
due to pass-through trips and future trip generation attributable
to new development. The program will provide a continuing generation
of funds necessary for the Township to initiate and complete capital
transportation improvements as needed in support of new growth and
development. Such a program will involve participation by developers
as well as local, state and federal governments. Through the Impact
Fee Program, the Township is establishing a process whereby future
traffic needs can be addressed in a timely manner and the impact of
increased traffic volumes can be minimized to the extent possible.
The Board of Supervisors hereby finds and declares that:
A.
The recitals set forth at the beginning of this Part 1 are incorporated
herein as findings of the Board of Supervisors as if fully set forth
below.
B.
The Township is committed to the provision of a transportation system
at service levels necessary to support residential and nonresidential
growth and development.
C.
Transportation service levels will be provided by the Township utilizing
funds allocated via the capital budget, capital improvements programs,
formal and informal partnerships with the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation (PennDOT) and impact fees.
D.
The aggregation of development in the defined transportation service
areas intensifies the demand for transportation improvements designed
to accommodate traffic volumes at a "D" level of service as defined
by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Science,
which is the minimum acceptable level of service to accommodate such
development and the intensity thereof.
F.
To the extent that new development in the transportation service
areas places demands upon the transportation system, those demands
should be satisfied by the establishment of an Impact Fee Program
that distributes the responsibility for financing the provision of
such transportation facilities among the Township, state and federal
governments and developers.
G.
The amount of the impact fee to be imposed shall be calculated in
accordance with the provisions of the MPC[1] and this Part 1, applying the engineering standards set
forth in most recent edition of Trip Generation. Vols. 1 through 3,
Institute of Transportation Engineers.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
H.
The Township hereby finds and declares that an impact fee imposed
upon new development, in order to assist in the financing of specified
major transportation capital improvements in the defined transportation
service areas, the demand for which has been quantified through the
application of land use assumptions provided by the Impact Fee Advisory
Committee appointed by the Board of Supervisors, is in the best interest
of the Township and its residents.
As used in this Part 1, the words shall have the meanings set forth in Sections 107 and 502-A of the MPC,[1] unless the context clearly indicates to the contrary.
The following words and terms, not defined in the MPC or defined differently
than in the MPC, shall have the following meanings, unless the context
clearly indicates to the contrary:
A permit for the activities regulated under the Pennsylvania
Uniform Construction Code as administered by the Township and any
activity requiring an occupancy permit, including, without limitation,
the following:
The construction or alteration of a man-made object having a
stationary location on land or water;
The construction of an addition;
The demolition of or the movement of a man-made object having
a stationary location on land or water;
A change of occupancy or use;
The installation of or the alteration of any equipment regulated
by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.
The overall policy guide for the physical man-made change
to improved or unimproved real estate of Jackson Township adopted
by the Board of Supervisors, the Comprehensive Plan of Jackson Township,
either as a whole or in parts, consisting of documents, maps, drawings
and charts in accordance with the MPC[2] and as amended from time to time. Jackson Township's
Comprehensive Plan includes but is not limited to the Jackson Township
Comprehensive Plan adopted in June 2017 by the Board of Supervisors,
by Resolution 17-14 and designs or plans or any studies or surveys
emanating therefrom.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
Any person who has legal title of land, an agent of the person
who has legal title or a tenant with permission of the person who
has legal title of land, who makes an application for development.
A developer is also known as an "applicant." In the case of the assessment
of additional impact fees, it shall also mean a successor in title.
A fee to be paid at building permit issuance and calculated in accordance with the provisions of the MPC, as amended, and this Part 1 or the fee to be paid in accordance with § 23-106E after a special transportation study pursuant to § 23-110A(5).
Any commercial, industrial or residential or other project
which involves new construction, enlargement, reconstruction, redevelopment,
relocation or structural alteration and which is expected to generate
additional vehicular traffic within the transportation service area
of the Township. New development also includes any change in use that
increases peak-hour trips generated by such change in use, whether
or not physical changes to the site or structures on the site are
required. Development pursuant to MPC Article VII, Planned Residential
Development (PRD), and MPC Article VII-A, Traditional Neighborhood
Development (TND),[3] is included in new development.
A permit for occupancy and use issued pursuant to Chapter 27, Zoning, of the Code of Jackson Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.
The relevant peak-hour period for the calculation of impact
fees. Trips generated in the p.m. peak-hour shall be used to determine
the impact fee.
For the purpose of the roadway sufficiency analysis and the
transportation capital improvement program, Herbert, Rowland &
Grubic, Inc., and thereafter shall mean any Pennsylvania-licensed
engineer with experience in traffic and roadway engineering as may
be appointed from time to time by the Board of Supervisors.
A plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township
prior to the enactment of any impact fee ordinance for the purpose
of identifying and planning for transportation capital improvements,
as may be amended from time to time. Specifically, the Impact Fee
Advisory Committee prepared or directed to be prepared a Transportation
Capital Improvements Plan dated September 2014 and prepared by the
Township Traffic Engineer, adopted as Resolution No. 14-12 by the
Board of Supervisors on November 20, 2014, and as updated and amended
by Resolution 17-28, adopted on October 19, 2017.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
That geographically defined area of the Township which, pursuant to the Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 27) and applicable district regulations, has an aggregation of sites with development potential creating the need for transportation improvements for such area to be funded by impact fees as set forth in Attachment A, attached hereto and made a part hereof.[5]
Those rates of traffic for the p.m. peak hour of adjacent
street traffic as determined in most recent edition of Trip Generation,
Vols. 1 through 3, the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
The dollar figure calculated by dividing the total costs
of the road improvements included in the adopted transportation capital
improvements plan, plus both a 10% contingency and the cost of the
Township Traffic Engineer's preparation of the roadway sufficiency
analysis within the transportation service areas attributable to and
necessitated by new development within the service area, divided by
the number of anticipated p.m. peak-hours trips generated by all new
development consistent with the land use assumptions and calculated
in accordance with the most recent edition of Trip Generation, Vols.
1 through 3, the Institute of Transportation Engineers.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
A.
This Part 1 shall be uniformly applicable to all new development
that occurs within the defined transportation service areas.
B.
This Part 1 shall not apply to de minimus new development. "De minimus" is defined to be new development that results in a total of five or less p.m. peak-hour trips, including any preexisting p.m. peak-hour trips. This subsection sets forth a threshold limit for the applicability of this Part 1 and shall not be construed to provide a five-trip credit to new development.
C.
This Part 1 shall not apply to the Seneca Valley School District,
or buildings associated therewith, or to Jackson Township, the Western
Butler County Authority, Pennsylvania-American Water or any other
Township agency or authority. Schools and local government agencies
serve an overriding public interest, warranting an exemption from
impact fees.
A.
No building permit or occupancy permit subject to this Part 1 shall
be issued for a development in the transportation service area unless
the applicant has paid the impact fee imposed by and calculated pursuant
to this Part 1.
B.
This Part 1 shall not apply to de minimus new development. "De minimus" is defined to be new development that results in a total of five or less p.m. peak-hour trips, including any preexisting p.m. peak-hour trips. This subsection sets forth a threshold limit for the applicability of this Part 1 and shall not be construed to provide a five-trip credit to new development.
C.
In calculating the impact fee to be paid at the time of a building
permit or occupancy permit, the impact fee shall be based upon the
trips that will be generated by the specific construction or use authorized
by the permit. In the case of phase development, only the trips generated
by the phase being developed need to be paid at the time a building
permit or occupancy permit is issued.
D.
The impact fee shall be paid at the issuance of the first permit
in time in the event that both a building permit and occupancy permit
would be issued for the same use.
E.
In the event a special transportation study is performed pursuant to § 23-110A(5) and additional trips are being generated or would be at full occupancy, the developer shall pay the additional impact fee within 30 days of written notice from the Township Manager containing a copy of the special transportation study and the calculation of the additional impact fee based thereon.
F.
In the case of land development, subdivision or planned residential development, the methodology, basis and amount for the impact fee shall be set forth in the developer's agreement required pursuant to Chapter 22 and the planned residential development pursuant to Chapter 27. The Board of Supervisor's right to conduct a special study pursuant to § 23-110A(5) shall be set forth clearly therein. The obligation to pay additional impact fees as a result of such a study shall run with the land and shall be the primary responsibility of the landowner. The obligation to pay additional impact fees as a result of such a study shall be a covenant running with the land and shall be the primary responsibility of the landowner. The developer's agreement shall be in recordable form. If the said covenant poses an impediment to the developer(s), their heirs, and successors and assigns obtaining construction mortgage financing, developer(s), their heirs, successors and assigns may request Jackson Township to release said covenant upon substitution of an escrow fund in an amount mutually agreed upon by the developer and Jackson Township. The escrow account amount shall be sufficient to secure payment of any additional impact fees that may be required in order to assure the subject transportation service district is operating at the preferred levels of service. Furthermore, a Township no-lien letter issued to a bona fide purchaser of a unit or lot for their individual use, whether for residential or business purposes, and which does not assert an additional impact fee amount due the Township shall constitute a release of the aforesaid obligation running with the land as to the subject purchaser's unit or lot.
A.
The unit cost per trip is derived from the transportation capital
improvements plan and may be amended from time to time as transportation
needs dictate and as directed by the Board of Supervisors in accordance
with the procedures set forth in the MPC.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
B.
The impact fee imposed by this Part 1 upon all new development shall be determined by applying the unit improvement cost to the p.m. peak-hour trips generated by a project as identified in the most recent edition of Trip Generation, Vols. 1 through 3, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, or by a special transportation study pursuant to § 23-110. To determine the fee for a specific use, the p.m. peak-hour trip generation rate for the proposed use shall be multiplied by the unit improvement cost rate in the transportation service areas.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
C.
If the development for which a building permit is sought contains
a mix of uses, the applicant must separately calculate the impact
fee due for each type of development.
A.
Applicability. An additional impact fee shall be imposed upon new developments that generate 1,000 or more p.m. peak-hour trips, net of pass-by trips, as defined by Trip Generation, Seventh Edition, 2003, Vols. 1-3, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and any amendments or future editions thereof. This section is in addition to the impact fee calculated under this Part 1.
B.
Traffic study. An applicant for a new development that generates
1,000 or more p.m. peak-hour trips shall be required to perform a
traffic analysis of development traffic impact on highways, roads
or streets outside the transportation service areas in which the new
development is located, but within the boundaries of the Township.
Any highways, roads or streets or parts thereof outside the transportation
service areas that will accommodate 10% or more of the new development
traffic and 100 or more new p.m. peak-hour trips may be required to
be studied. The traffic study is to be conducted in accordance with
the Township Manager's regulations.
C.
Mitigation. Applicants for new development that generate 1,000 or
more new p.m. peak-hour trips, less pass-by trips, will be required
to mitigate the traffic impact of the new development on the affected
roads, highways and streets per the traffic study to maintain the
predevelopment conditions.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
A.
Applicability of this section. The Township Manager may permit or
require a new development to perform a special transportation study
to document actual trip generation from a particular use. The instances
when a special transportation study can or must be performed are limited
to instances where:
(1)
The Township requests a special transportation study based upon unique
conditions of the property or the property's sensitive location within
the transportation service areas.
(2)
No "R" value or fitted curve equation is provided for the use in
the most recent edition of Trip Generation, Vols. 1 through 3, the
Institute of Traffic Engineers.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
(3)
The use is not represented in the most recent edition of Trip Generation,
Vols. 1 through 3, the Institute of Traffic Engineers.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
(4)
A developer, after no more than 18 months from the date of payment
of an impact fee and being fully occupied and operational, chooses
to challenge the amount of the impact fee previously paid for a new
development; provided, however, the study cannot be initiated until
at least one year after the issuance of the first occupancy permit
for a use within the new development.
(5)
At least one year after the issuance of the first occupancy permit
for a new development, the Board of Supervisors, at its sole discretion,
on its own motion or upon the complaint of a property owner within
the transportation service areas, determines that the results of the
special study used to determine the impact fee need to be reexamined
or the Board of Supervisors determines that the roadways nearby the
new development within the transportation service areas are not operating
at the preferred levels of service. A redetermination, initiated as
aforesaid, must be commenced by action of the Board of Supervisors
no more than 18 months from the date of payment of an impact fee and
development being fully occupied and operational.
B.
Guidelines for conducting a special transportation study. Special transportation studies must be conducted in accordance with the Township Manager's regulations. The developer shall be responsible for all costs associated with the special transportation study, except for a special transportation study performed by the Board of Supervisors pursuant to § 23-110A(5) above.
C.
Adjustments. Requests for adjustments of an impact fee as a result of a special transportation study conducted under § 23-110A(4) must be in writing directed to the Township Manager and must be postmarked within 18 months of the date of the check or wire transfer paying the impact fee. No adjustments will exceed the amount of the impact fee actually paid. The value of a single trip shall be the value that the applicant paid not the value at the time of adjustment.
A.
Collection of impact fee. impact fees due pursuant to this Part 1
shall be collected by the Township in the manner prescribed herein
prior to issuance of a building permit.
B.
Establishment and maintenance of accounts. The Township Manager shall establish an interest-bearing trust fund account created solely for impact fees. All interest earned on impact fees deposited in the account shall become the funds of that account. Impact fees generated from new development may only be expended for transportation capital improvements identified as being funded by impact fees under the transportation capital improvements plan in the transportation service areas, except as provided in § 23-113.
C.
Maintenance of records. The Township Manager shall maintain and keep
adequate financial records for each such account that will show the
source and disbursement of all revenues, that will account for all
moneys received and that shall ensure that the disbursement of funds
from each account will be used solely and exclusively for the provision
of projects specified in the transportation capital improvements plan
for the transportation service areas.
D.
Annual accounting. The Township will provide that an annual accounting
is made for any account containing impact fee proceeds and earned
interest. The accounting shall include the total funds collected,
the source for the funds collected, the total amount of interest accruing
on such funds and the amount of funds expended on specific transportation
improvements. Notice of the availability of the results of the accounting
will be included and published as part of the Township's annual audit.
A copy will also be provided to the Impact Fee Advisory Committee.
A.
Role of the Impact Fee Advisory Committee. The IFA Committee has
been formed pursuant to the MPC, as amended,[1] to serve in an advisory capacity to the Board of Supervisors.
The IFA Committee has as its duties:
(1)
To make recommendations with respect to land use assumptions, the
development of comprehensive road improvements and impact fees;
(2)
To make recommendations to approve, disapprove or modify a capital
improvement program by preparing a written report containing these
recommendations to the Township;
(3)
To monitor and evaluate the implementation of a capital improvements
program and the assessment of impact fees and report annually to the
Township with respect to the same;
(4)
To advise the Township of the need to revise or update the land use
assumptions, capital improvements program or impact fees;
(5)
To conduct public hearings with respect to any recommendations on
land use assumptions in accordance with the requirements of this Part
1 and the MPC;
(6)
To prepare or cause to be prepared a roadway sufficiency analysis
in accordance with the requirements of this Part 1 and the MPC;
(7)
To review and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on
changes to the Township Manager's regulations as may be proposed from
time to time.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.
B.
Review of transportation capital improvements or impact fees charge.
The Board of Supervisors may request, no more than annually but no
less than once every three years, the IFA Committee to review and
make recommendations on the transportation capital improvements or
impact fee charges, based only on:
(1)
Subsequent new development which has occurred in the Township;
(2)
Completion of capital improvements in the transportation capital
improvements plan;
(3)
Unavoidable delays in construction of capital improvements contained
in the plan beyond the Township's control or responsibility;
(4)
Significant changes in the land use assumptions;
(5)
Changes in the estimated costs of the transportation improvements
proposed, which may be recalculated by applying the construction cost
index as published in the American City/County Magazine or the Engineering
News Record; provided, however, the Board of Supervisors, upon the
recommendation of the Township Traffic Engineer, may instruct the
IFA Committee to utilize another method;
(6)
Significant changes in the projected revenue from sources listed.
The Township may expend impact fees paid by an applicant on
projects not contained in the adopted transportation capital improvements
plan if all of the following criteria are met:
A.
The applicant has provided written consent to use of its collected
impact fees for specific transportation projects which are not included
in the transportation capital improvements plan;
B.
The alternative transportation project, whether highway or multimodal,
has as its purpose the reduction of traffic congestion or the removal
of vehicle trips from the roadway network;
C.
The Township amends its transportation capital improvements plan
components required by Section 504-A(e)(1)(vi) of the Municipalities
Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10504-A(e)(1)(vi), to provide replacement
of the collected impact fees transferred to transportation projects
outside the approved transportation capital improvements plan from
sources other than impact fees or developer contributions within three
years of completion of the alternative projects to which the transferred
fees were applied.
Payment of the impact fee shall be made by the applicant prior
to the issuance of a building permit, or occupancy permit if no physical
improvements are required, by the Township for the new development
for development on the applicable site.
A.
An applicant is entitled to a credit against the impact fee in the
amount of the fair market value of any land dedicated by the applicant
to the Township for future right-of-way realignment or widening of
any existing roadways or for the value of any construction of road
improvements contained in the transportation capital improvements
plan which is performed at the applicant's expense. The amount of
such credit for any capital improvement constructed shall be the amount
allocated in the capital improvement program and used in the calculation
of the impact fee, including contingency factors for such work, the
sum of these discounted back to the year of construction. The fair
market value of any land dedicated by the applicant shall be determined
as of the date of the submission of the land development or subdivision
application to the Township.
B.
Subject to the requirements of Subsections B(1) and (2) below, any applicant who performs, at its own expense, off-site improvements as defined by this Part 1 shall be eligible for a credit toward the impact fee otherwise due in the amount of the lesser of the actual cost of such off-site improvements as approved by the Township Engineer or the value plus contingency shown in the transportation capital improvements plan used in calculating the impact fee discounted back to the year of construction proposed by the applicant. Such credit shall not exceed the amount of the impact fee required to be paid by the applicant for the new development.
(1)
In order for a new development to be eligible for this credit, the
applicant must request approval to perform off-site improvements during
the subdivision or land development preliminary approval process.
The request must be in writing and must set forth the off-site improvement
project(s) for which the applicant is seeking credit. The Board of
Supervisors, at the time of its preliminary PRD, TND or land development
approval, shall approve or deny in whole or in part the applicant's
request. Where the request is approved in whole or in part, the applicant
must enter into an agreement with the Township prior to the issuance
of any building permit. The agreement must establish the estimated
cost of the improvement, the schedule for initiation and completion
of the improvement, guarantee that the improvement be completed to
the Township's and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation standards
and design criteria, and such other terms and conditions as deemed
necessary by the Township. The Township must review the improvement
plan, verify costs and time schedules, determine if the improvement
is an eligible improvement and determine the amount of the applicable
credit for such improvement to be applied to the otherwise applicable
impact fee prior to issuance of any building permit. In no event may
the Township provide a credit that is greater than the applicable
impact fee. If, however, the amount of the credit is calculated to
be greater than the amount of the impact fee due, the applicant may
utilize such excess credit toward the impact fees imposed on other
building permits for development on the same site and in the same
ownership.
(2)
The Board of Supervisors may deny the applicant's request in whole
or in part if any of the following conditions exist:
(a)
The failure to pay the impact fee would disrupt the orderly funding
and construction of the scheduled improvements in the transportation
capital improvements plan;
(b)
The impact fee is required to match state or federal funding; or
(c)
The improvements proposed by the applicant do not, in the opinion
of the Township Traffic Engineer, mitigate the traffic impact of the
new development.
C.
The Township may provide a credit against impact fees for the value
of any construction projects that are not contained in the adopted
transportation capital improvements plan which are performed at the
applicant's expense, if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)
The applicant has provided written consent to a credit of its collected
impact fees for specific transportation projects which are not included
in the transportation capital improvements plan;
(2)
The alternative transportation project, whether highway or multimodal,
has as its purpose the reduction of traffic congestion or the removal
of vehicle trips from the roadway network;
(3)
The Township amends its transportation capital improvements plan
components required by Section 504-A(e)(1)(vi) of the Municipalities
Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10504-A(e)(1)(vi), to provide replacement
of the credited impact fees transferred to transportation projects
outside the approved transportation capital improvements plan from
sources other than impact fees or developer contributions within three
years of completion of the alternative projects to which the transferred
fees were applied.
A.
The payer of the impact fee may apply for a refund of the appropriate
share of any such fee and any interest earned from the date of payment
if:
(1)
The Township has failed to commence any transportation service area
road improvements within three years of the scheduled construction
date set forth in the transportation capital improvements plan;
(2)
The new development for which impact fees were paid is not commenced
prior to the expiration of a building permit issued for the new development
within the time limits established by applicable building codes, or
the project for which a building permit has been issued has been altered
resulting in a decrease in the amount of the impact fee due;
(3)
If, upon completion of any road improvements project, the actual
expenditures are less than 95% of the costs allocable to the fee paid
within the transportation service areas in which the road improvement
was adopted, the Township shall refund to the payer the pro rata difference
between the budgeted costs and the actual expenditures, including
interest from the date of payment.
(4)
In the event that the Township terminates or completes an adopted
capital improvements plan for the transportation service areas and
there remains at the time of termination or completion undisbursed
funds in the accounts established for that purpose, the Township shall
provide written notice by certified mail to those persons who previously
paid the fees which remain undisbursed of the availability of said
funds for refund of the person's proportionate share of the fund balance.
The allocation of the refund shall be determined by generally accepted
accounting practices. In the event that any of the funds remain unclaimed
following one year after the notice, which shall be provided to the
last known address provided by the payer of the fees to the Township,
the Township shall be authorized to transfer any funds so remaining
to any other fund in the Township without any further obligation to
refund said funds.
B.
The request for a refund must be submitted to the Township Manager,
in writing, specifying the details and basis for the request for refund.
[Amended 11-16-2017 by Ord. No. 17-07]
A.
The Board of Supervisors may by resolution establish, amend, modify
and revoke reasonable regulations and forms governing:
(1)
The collection, payment, crediting and refund of impact fees;
(2)
The content, timing and methodology of traffic studies and special
traffic studies;
(3)
The use of later published additions of the ITE Trip Generation Manual;
(4)
The treatment of any parcel that lies both within and outside a transportation
service area;
(5)
Funds, subaccounts and the uses of proceeds and interest earned;
(6)
The determination of the amount of trips previously attached to a
developed property;
(7)
Any other matter or procedure necessary for the orderly administration
of the transportation capital improvements plan or impact fees.
B.
No such regulation shall modify a substantive provision of this Part
1. No amendment to these regulations shall be effective until approved
by the Board of Supervisors, by resolution.
C.
These regulations shall not supersede or replace any other regulations
found elsewhere in the Code of Jackson Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Where a conflict exists, the most stringent shall apply.
The words and phrases of this Part 1 are to be construed in
accordance with the following rules:
A.
Definitions.
(1)
First, words and phrases are to be interpreted as defined by this
Part 1;
(2)
Second, words and phrases that are not defined by this Part 1 are to be interpreted as defined in Sections 107 and 502-A of the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), 53 P.S. §§ 10107 and 10502-A, as amended;
B.
Construction. The words, phrases and provisions of this Part 1 are
not to be interpreted in a way that results in an absurd construction
of the meaning, or in a way that causes one provision to contradict
another.
The provisions of this Part 1 shall be liberally construed to
effectively carry out the purposes that are hereby found and declared
to be in furtherance of the public health, safety, welfare and convenience.