For the purposes of this Title, certain words herein shall be defined as, and interpreted as follows. Words used in the present tense shall include the future, the singular shall include the plural, and the plural shall include the singular, the masculine gender shall include the feminine, the term "shall" is always mandatory, and the term "may" is permissive.
ALLEY: Public property dedicated to public use primarily for vehicular access to the back or side of properties otherwise abutting on a street.
BLOCK: An area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded by streets, railroad rights of way, rivers, tracts of public land, or the boundary of the subdivision.
CITY ENGINEER: The professional engineer registered in the State of Iowa designated as City Engineer by the governing body or other hiring authority.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The general plan for the development of the community, which may be titled Master Plan, Comprehensive Plan or some other title, which Plan has been adopted by the governing body. Such "Comprehensive Plan" shall include any part of such Plan separately adopted, and any amendment to such Plan or parts thereof.
CUL-DE-SAC: A street having one end connecting to another street, and the other end terminated by a vehicular turnaround.
EASEMENT: An authorization by a property owner for another to use a designated part of his property for a specified purpose.
FLOOD HAZARD AREA: Any area subject to flooding by a one percent (1%) probability flood, otherwise referred to as a 100-year flood; as designated by the Iowa Natural Resources Council or the Federal Insurance Administration.
FLOODWAY: The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent lands that must be reserved in order to discharge the waters of a 100-year flood without cumulatively raising the waterway surface elevation more than one foot (1').
GOVERNING BODY: The City Council of the City of West Liberty, Iowa.
IMPROVEMENTS: Changes to land necessary to prepare it for building sites including, but not limited to, grading, filling, street paving, curb paving, sidewalks, walkways, water mains, sewers, drainage ways, and other public works and appurtenances.
LOT: A portion of a subdivision or other parcel or tract intended as a unit for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of transfer of ownership or for building development.
LOT, CORNER: A lot situated at the intersection of two (2) streets.
LOT, DOUBLE FRONTAGE: Any lot which is not a corner lot, which abuts two (2) streets.
OWNER: The legal entity holding title to the property being subdivided, or such representative or agent as is fully empowered to act on its behalf.
PLANNING COMMISSION: The appointed commission designated by the governing body for the purpose of this Title, and may also be the Zoning Commission, in which case such Commission shall be known as the Planning and Zoning Commission.
PLAT: A map, drawing, or chart on which a subdivider's plan for the subdivision of land is presented, which he submits for the approval and intends, in final form, to record.
PLATS OFFICER: The individual assigned the duty to administer this Title by the governing body or other appointing authority.
RESUBDIVISION: Any subdivision of land which has previously been included in a recorded plat. In appropriate context it may be a verb referring to the act of preparing a plat of previously subdivided land.
STREET: Public property, not an alley, intended for vehicular circulation. In appropriate context with the term "street", may refer to the right of way bounded by the property lines of such public property, or may refer to the paving installed within such right of way.
STREET, ARTERIAL: The street primarily intended to carry traffic from one part of the City to another, and not intended to provide access to abutting property.
STREET, MAJOR: An arterial street or other street which has or is planned to have continuity to carry traffic from one section of the City to another.
SUBDIVIDER: The owner of the property being subdivided, or such other person or entity empowered to act on the owner's behalf.
SUBDIVISION: The division of land into two (2) or more parts, for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of transfer of ownership or building development. The term, when appropriate to the context, may refer to the process of subdividing or to land subdivided. However, the sale or exchange of small parcels of land to or between the owners of adjacent platted lots, where such sale or exchange does not create any additional lots and where the land sold or exchanged constitutes less than fifty percent (50%) of the area of the enlarged lot after such transfer, shall not be considered a subdivision.
UTILITIES: Systems for the distribution or collection of water, gas, electricity, wastewater and storm water. (Ord. 5-82, 7-20-1982)