City of Mount Vernon, NY Article I Definitions and Word Usage; Charter Amendments

[Adopted 11-13-1957 as Ch. 1 of the General Ordinances, approved 11-15-1957]

§ 1-1 Definitions.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, whenever used in the Code of the City of Mount Vernon, the following words and terms are defined as follows:

CHARTER

The Charter of the City of Mount Vernon.

CITY

The City of Mount Vernon.

CITY CLERK

The City Clerk of the City of Mount Vernon.

CITY COUNCIL

The City Council of the City of Mount Vernon.

COMPTROLLER

The Comptroller of the City of Mount Vernon.

MAYOR

The Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon.

PARK

Includes public parks and parkways.

PERSON

Natural person, corporation, association, unincorporated association, joint-stock association, firm or copartnership. Whenever a penalty or fine is prescribed as applying to partners or associations, the word shall include the partners or members thereof, and such word as applied to corporations shall include the officers, agents or employees thereof who are responsible for any violation of the Code of the City of Mount Vernon.

PUBLIC PROPERTY

Any property rights or interests owned by the City or the School District of Mount Vernon, as well as all "streets," "parks," "public places" and "waters" belonging to the City or the School District of Mount Vernon.

REAL PROPERTY

Any lands under water, waterfront property, water of any pond or stream; all easements and hereditaments, corporeal or incorporeal; and every estate, interest and right, legal and equitable, in lands or water; and any right, interest, privilege, easement and franchise relating to the same, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage assignment or otherwise.

SEWER

A sewer, drainage canal, drain and sewage disposal work.

SIDEWALK

That portion of a public highway other than the street or roadway, used or set aside for the use of pedestrians, including all flagged sidewalks.

STREET

Street, avenue, road, alley, lane, highway, boulevard, parkway, driveway, bridge, plaza, culvert, sidewalk and crosswalk, and every class of public road, square and place.

§ 1-2 Word usage.

A. Whenever any words in any section of the Code of the City of Mount Vernon import the plural number, the singular shall be deemed to be included, and whenever the singular number shall be used, it shall be deemed to include the plural.

B. Whenever the masculine gender is used in the Code of the City of Mount Vernon, females as well as males shall be deemed to be included.

C. Words in the present tense shall be deemed to include the future tense.

D. The words "written" and "in writing" shall be deemed to include printing.

E. The word "shall" as used in the Code of the City of Mount Vernon shall be deemed to be mandatory.

§ 1-3 Effect of Charter amendments.

In the event that the adoption of a new Charter or an amendment to the Charter of the City of Mount Vernon creates, abolishes, consolidates or gives a new title to any department, board, office, officer, official, commissioner or director, these terms shall refer to such department, board, office, officer, official, commissioner or director as shall perform or have charge of the duties and functions of the department, board, office, officer, official, commissioner or director so replaced, renamed, consolidated or abolished.