(A) In the construction of this Code and of all ordinances of this city, the following rules of construction and definitions shall be observed, unless such construction or definitions would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the city council, would be repugnant to the context of the provisions or the context clearly requires otherwise.
(B) Generally: All words and phrases shall be construed and understood according to the common and approved usage of language; but technical words and phrases and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.
CITY. The City of Bellevue in the County of Sarpy in the State of Nebraska.
CITY COUNCIL. The governing body of the city.
CODE. This Code of Ordinances as designated and cited in section 1-1 above.
COMPUTATION OF TIME. The time within which an act is to be done, as provided in the civil procedure statutes, is computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day falls upon any legal holiday or on Saturday, in which case the last day is also excluded.
COUNTY. The County of Sarpy in the State of Nebraska.
DAY. A day is the period of time between any midnight and the midnight following.
DAYTIME, NIGHTTIME. “Daytime” is the period of time between sunrise and sunset. “Nighttime” is the period of time between sunset and sunrise.
DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY. Whenever a provision appears in this Code requiring an officer of the city to do some act or make certain inspections, it is to be construed to authorize such officer to designate, delegate and authorize subordinates to perform the required act or make the required inspection unless the terms of the provision or section expressly designates otherwise.
EASEMENT. A right, liberty, privilege or advantage without profit which the owner of one parcel of land may have in the lands of another. A right in the owner of one parcel of land, by reason of such ownership, to use the land of another for a special purpose not inconsistent with a general property right in the owner.
GENDER. A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and be applied to females and to firms, partnerships, associations and corporations as well as to males.
IN THE CITY or IN THIS CITY. Any territory within the corporate limits of this city and the police jurisdiction thereof, and any other territory over which regulatory power has been conferred on the city by general or special act, except as otherwise specified.
JOINT AUTHORITY. Words purporting to give authority to three or more officers or other persons shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it is otherwise specifically declared.
LAW. Any statute, ordinance or regulation promulgated by the United States, the state, the county, the city or any agency thereof, as well as the rules and regulations of other bodies politic that may be appropriate.
MONTH. A calendar month.
NUMBER. Any word importing the singular number shall include the plural, and any word importing the plural number shall include the singular.
OATH. Includes an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in such cases the words “swear” and “sworn” shall be equivalent to the words “affirm” and “affirmed.”
OFFICIAL TIME STANDARD. Whenever certain hours are named in this Code they shall mean standard time or daylight savings time as may be in current use in the city.
OFFICIALS, EMPLOYEES, BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, ETC. Whenever reference is made to officials, employees, boards, commissions or other agencies of the city by title only, i.e., “mayor,” “clerk,” “chief of police,” etc., they shall be deemed to refer to the officials, employees, boards, commissions or other agencies of this city.
OR, AND. “Or” may be read “and,” and “and” may be read “or,” if the context of the provision requires it.
OWNER. When applied to a building or land, include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
PERSON. Includes and shall be applied to a firm, partnership, association, corporation, organization, club, society, group acting as a unit or body politic and corporate, as well as to an individual.
PERSONAL PROPERTY. Includes money, goods, chattels, evidences of debt, things in action and any other species of property, except real property.
PRECEDING, FOLLOWING. The words “preceding” and “following” shall mean the next before and the next after, respectively.
PROPERTY. Real, personal and mixed property.
PUBLIC PLACE. Any public way, park, cemetery, school yard or open space adjacent thereto; any public lake or stream; and any place or business open to the use of the public in general, open to public view or to which the public has access.
PUBLIC WAY. Any street, alley, boulevard, parkway, highway, sidewalk or other public thoroughfare.
REAL PROPERTY. Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
REASONABLE TIME. In all cases where any section of this Code or city ordinance shall require any act to be done in a reasonable time or reasonable notice to be given, such REASONABLE TIME OR NOTICE shall be deemed to mean such time only as may be necessary for the prompt performance of such duty, or compliance with such notice.
RESIDENCE. The place adopted by a person as his place of habitation, and to which, whenever he is absent, he has the intention of returning. When a person eats at one place and sleeps at another, the place where such person sleeps shall be deemed to be his RESIDENCE.
ROADWAY. That portion of a street improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic.
SHALL, MAY. The word “shall” is mandatory, and the word “may” is discretionary.
SIDEWALK. Any portion of the street between the curb, or the lateral line of the roadway and the adjacent property line intended for the use of pedestrians.
SIGNATURE, SUBSCRIPTION. A mark when the person cannot write, when his name is written near such mark and is witnessed by a person who writes his own name as witness.
STATE. The State of Nebraska.
STREET. Public streets, avenues, boulevards, highways, roads, alleys, lanes, viaducts, bridges, public ways and approaches thereto and other public thoroughfares in the city devoted to public use.
TENANT, OCCUPANT. The words “tenant” and “occupant,” applied to a building or land shall mean any person who occupies the whole or a part of such building or land, whether alone or with others.
TENSE. Words used in the past or present tense shall include the future as well as the past or present.
TO. “To” means “to and including” when used in reference to a series of sections of this Code or when reference is made to the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, 1943.
WEEK. A week consists of seven consecutive days.
WRITING, WRITTEN. The words “writing” and “written” shall include typewriting, printing on paper and any other mode of representing words and letters.
YEAR. A calendar year.
(1964 Code, § 1-2)