PREFACE
The Village of Cold Spring has, over the years, passed through the struggles that characterize all American communities in their early history. While only a few simple laws were necessary at the time of the incorporation of the village, subsequent growth of the community, together with the complexity of modern life, has created the need for more and detailed legislation for the proper function and government of the village. The recording of local legislation 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. Ordinances, resolutions and local laws must be more than mere chronological enactments reposing in the pages of old records. They 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 ordinances, resolutions and local laws.
Contents of Code
The
various chapters of the Code contain all currently effective resolutions,
ordinances and local laws of a general and permanent nature enacted by the
Board of Trustees of the Village of Cold Spring. In accordance with
recognized codification procedures used in the State of
Reserve Chapters
Space has been provided for the convenient insertion, alphabetically, of later enactments. In the Table of Contents such space appears as chapters titled "(Reserved)." In the body of the Code, reserved space is provided by breaks in the page-numbering sequence between chapters.
Grouping of Legislation and
Arrangement of Chapters
The resolutions, ordinances and local laws are organized into chapters, their order being an alphabetical progression from one subject to another. Wherever there are two or more resolutions, ordinances or local laws dealing with the same subject, they are combined into a single chapter. Thus, for example, all legislation dealing with games of chance may be found in the chapter entitled "Games of Chance," while all legislation pertaining to water may be found in the chapter entitled "Water." In such chapters, use of Article designations has preserved the identity of the individual enactments.
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents details the arrangement of material by chapter as a means of identifying specific areas of legislation. Wherever two or more resolutions, ordinances or local laws have been combined by the editor into a single chapter, titles of the several Articles are listed beneath the chapter title in order to facilitate location of the individual enactments.
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 "O1." Thus, Chapter 9 begins on page 901, Chapter 104 on page 10401, 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 resolution, ordinance or local law is assigned a number which indicates both the number of the chapter in which the resolution, ordinance or local law is located and the location of the section within that chapter. Thus, the first section of Chapter 9 is § 9-1, while the sixth section of Chapter 104 is § 104-6.
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.
General References
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.
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 should be supplemented and revised from time to time as new legislation is added to the Code.
Appendix
Certain forms of local legislation of a special nature may not be 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.
Supplementation
Supplementation of the Code will follow the adoption of new legislation. New resolutions, ordinances and local laws or amendments will be included and repeals will be indicated as soon as possible after passage.
Acknowledgment
The valuable assistance of Mrs. Frances C. Allen, Village Clerk; Jennifer L. Van Tuyl, Village Attorney; and of Mayor Arthur Sylvester and the Board of Trustees is gratefully acknowledged. Their cooperation and dedication to the achievement and maintenance of the highest standards of excellence in municipal government has added to the merit of this Code.
The codification of the ordinances of the Village of Cold Spring 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."