Village
of Williamsville Codes
Table of Contents | Chapter 1
PREFACE
The Village of Williamsville
has, over the years, pasted through a process of legislative change common
to many American communities. While only a few simple laws were necessary
at the time of the establishment of the village, subsequent growth of the
community, together with the complexity of modern life, has created the
need for new and more detailed legislation for the proper function and
government of the village. The recording of local law is an aspect of municipal
history, and as the community develops and changes, review and revision
of old laws and consideration of new laws, in the light of current trends,
must keep pace. The orderly collection of these records is an important
step in this ever-continuing process. legislation must be more than mere
chronological enactments reposing in the pages of old records. It must
be available and logically arranged for convenient use and must be kept
up-to-date. It was with thoughts such as these in mind that the Board of
Trustees ordered the following codification of the village's legislation.
Contents of Code
The various chapters
of the Code contain all currently effective legislation (local laws, ordinances
and certain resolutions) of a general and permanent nature enacted by the
Board of Trustees of the Village of Williamsville, including revisions
or amendments to existing legislation deemed necessary by the Board of
in the course of the codification.
Grouping of Legislation
and Arrangement of Chapter
The various items of
legislation are organized into chapters, their order being an alphabetical
progression from one subject to another. Wherever there are two or more
items of legislation dealing with the same subject, they are combined into
a single chapter. Thus, for example, all legislation pertaining to the
regulation of streets and sidewalks may be found in Part II, in the chapter
entitled "Streets and Sidewalks." In such chapters, use of Article or Part
designations has preserved the identity of the individual items of legislation.
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents
details the alphabetical arrangement of material by chapter as a means
of identifying specific areas of legislation. Wherever two or more items
of legislation have been combined by the editor into a single chapter,
titles of the several Articles or Parts are listed beneath the chapter
title in order to facilitate location of the individual item of legislation.
Reserved Chapters
Space has been provided
in the Code for the convenient insertion, alphabetically, of later enactments.
In the Table of Contents such space appears as chapters entitled "(Reserved)."
In the body of the Code, reserved space is provided by breaks in the page-numbering
sequence between chapters.
Pagination
A unique page-numbering
system has been used, in which each chapter forms an autonomous unit One
hundred pages have been allotted to each chapter, and the first page of
each is the number of that chapter followed by the numerals "01." Thus,
Chapter 6 begins on page 601, Chapter 53 on page 5301, etc. By use of this
system, it is possible to add or to change pages in any chapter without
affecting the sequence of subsequent pages in other chapters, and to insert
new chapters without affecting the existing organization.
Numbering of Sections
A chapter-related section-numbering
system is employed, in which each section of every item of legislation
is assigned a number which indicates both the number of the chapter in
which the legislation is located and the location of the section within
that chapter. Thus, the first section of Chapter 6 is § 6-1, while
the fourth section of Chapter 53 is § 53-4. New sections can then
be added between existing sections using a decimal system. Thus, for example,
if two sections were to be added between §§ 53-4 and 53-5, they
would be numbered as §§ 53-4.1 and 53-4.2.
Scheme
The Scheme is the list
of section titles which precedes the text of each chapter. These titles
are carefully written so that, taken together, they may be considered as
a summary of the content of the chapter. Taken separately, each describes
the content of a particular section. For ease and precision of reference,
the Scheme titles are repeated as section headings in the text
Histories
At the end of the Scheme
in each chapter is located the legislative history for that chapter. This
History indicates the specific legislative source from which the chapter
was derived, including the enactment number (e.g., ordinance number, local
law number, bylaw number, resolution number, etc.), if pertinent, and the
date of adoption. In the case of chapters containing Parts or Articles
derived from more than one item of legislation, the source of each Part
or Article is indicated in the History. Amendments to individual sections
or subsections are indicated by histories where appropriate in the text
Codification
Amendments and Revisions
New chapters adopted
or sections amended or revised during the process of codification are specifically
enumerated in chapter Histories with reference to "Ch. 1, General Provisions,"
where the legislation adopting this Code and making such revisions will
appear after final enactment Sections so amended or revised are also indicated
in the text by means of Editor's Notes referring to the chapter cited above.
General References;
Editor's Notes
In each chapter containing
material related to other chapters in the Code, a table of General References
is included to direct the reader's attention to such related chapters.
Editor's Notes are used in the text to provide supplementary information
and cross-references to related provisions in other chapters.
Appendix
Certain forms of local
legislation are not of a nature suitable for inclusion in the main body
of the Code but are of such significance that their application is community-wide
or their provisions are germane to the conduct of municipal government.
The Appendix of this Code is reserved for such legislation and for any
other material that the community may wish to include.
Index
The Index is a guide
to information. Since it is likely that this Code will be used by persons
without formal legal training, the Index has been formulated to enable
such persons to locate a particular section quickly. Each section of each
chapter has been indexed. The Index will be supplemented and revised from
time to time as new legislation is added to the Code.
Instructions for Amending
the Code
All changes to the Code,
whether they are amendments, deletions or complete new additions, should
be adopted as amending the Code. In doing so, existing material that is
not being substantively altered should not be renumbered. Where new sections
are to be added to a chapter, they can be added at the end of the existing
material (continuing the numbering sequence) or inserted between existing
sections as decimal numbers (e.g., a new section between §§ 45-5
and 45-6 should be designated § 45-5.1). New chapters should be added
in the proper alphabetical sequence in the appropriate division or part
(e.g., Part I, Administrative legislation, or Part II, General legislation),
utilizing the reserved chapter numbers. New chapter titles should begin
with the key word for the alphabetical listing (e.g., new legislation on
abandoned vehicles should be titled "Vehicles, Abandoned" under "V" in
the table of contents, and a new enactment on coin-rated amusement devices
should be "Amusement Devices" or "Amusement Devices, Coin-Operated" under
"A" in the table of contents). Where a reserved number is not available,
an "A" chapter should be used (e.g., a new chapter to be included between
Chapters 45 and 46 should be designated Chapter 45A). New Articles may
be inserted between existing Articles in a chapter (e.g.. adding a new
district to the Zoning Regulations) by the use of "A" Articles (e.g., a
new Article to be included between Articles XVI and XVII should be designated
Article XVIA). The section numbers would be indicated above (e.g., if the
new Article XVIA contains six sections and existing Article XVI ends with
§ 45-30 and Article XVII begins with § 45-31, Article XVIA should
contain 45-30.1 through 45-30.6).
Supplementation
Supplementation of the
Code will follow the adoption of new legislation. New legislation or amendments
to existing legislation will be included and repeals will be indicated
as soon as possible after passage. Supplemental pages should be inserted
as soon as they are received and old pages removed, in accordance with
the Instruction Page which accompanies each supplement.
Acknowledgment
The assistance of the
Code Revision Committee is gratefully acknowledged. The wholehearted dedication
of the members of this Committee to the task involved in the preparation
of this Code has made it an outstanding achievement of the Village of Williamsville.
The codification of the
legislation of the Village of Williamsville reflects an appreciation of
the needs of a progressive and expanding community. As in many other municipalities,
officials are faced with fundamental changes involving nearly every facet
of community life. Problems increase in number and complexity and range
in importance from everyday details to crucial areas of civic planning.
It is the profound conviction of General Code Publishers Corp. that this
Code will contribute significantly to the efficient administration of local
government As Samuel Johnson observed, "The law is the last result of human
wisdom acting upon human experience for the benefit of the public."
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