§ 10.02 DEFINITIONS AND RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.
   In the construction of this code and of all ordinances, the following definitions and rules of construction shall be observed unless inconsistent with the manifest intent of the Board of Commissioners or the context clearly requires otherwise.
   BOARD. The Board of Commissioners of the town.
   COMPUTATION OF TIME. The time within which an act is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first and including the last day; and if the last day is Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday, that day shall be excluded.
   COUNTY. The County of Onslow, in the state of North Carolina, except as otherwise provided.
   GENDER. Words importing the masculine gender shall include the feminine and neuter.
   JOINT AUTHORITY. All words giving a joint authority to three or more persons or officers shall be construed as giving authority to a majority of persons or officers.
   MAY.   The act referred to is permissive.
   MAYOR. The Mayor of the town.
   MONTH. A calendar month.
   NUMBER. Words used in the singular include the plural, and words used in the plural include the singular number.
   OATH. Shall be construed to include an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in certain cases the words swear and sworn shall be equivalent to the words affirm and affirmed.
   OWNER. When applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety, of the whole or a part of the building or land.
   PERSON. Includes a corporation, firm, partnership, association, organization and any other group acting as a unit, as well as an individual.
   PERSONAL PROPERTY. Includes every species of property except real property as herein defined in this section.
   PRECEDING, FOLLOWING. The words preceding and following shall mean next before and next after respectively.
   PROPERTY. Includes real and personal property.
   REAL PROPERTY. Includes lands, tenements and hereditaments.
   SHALL. The act referred to is mandatory.
   SIDEWALK. Any portion of a street between the curb line and the adjacent property line intended for the use of pedestrians.
   SIGNATURE. The words signature or subscription include a mark when the person cannot write.
   STATE. Any public way, road, highway, street, avenue, boulevard, parkway, alley, lane, viaduct or bridge and the approaches thereto within the town.
   TENANT. The words tenant or occupant applied to a building or land shall include any person who occupies the whole or a part of the building or land whether alone or with others.
   TIME. Words used in the past or present tense include the future as well as the past and present.
   TOWN. The Town of Swansboro, in Onslow County, North Carolina, except as otherwise provided.
   TOWN MANAGER. The person duly appointed as Town Manager or duly acting in that capacity by authority of the Board of Commissioners. Hereafter, all references in the Code of Ordinances and the various written policies to the town to Town Administrator shall be deemed to be references to the Town Manager until the time that those references are duly removed from the Code of Ordinances.
   WRITING. The words writing and written shall include printing and any other mode of representing words and letters.
   YEAR. A calendar year.
(OC, § 1-1-2)