[HISTORY: Adopted by the Common Council of the City of Park Falls as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted as Secs. 1-1-2 and 1-1-7 of the 1997 Code]
The following rules or meanings shall be applied in the construction and interpretation of ordinances codified in this Code of Ordinances unless such application would be clearly inconsistent with the plain meaning or intent of the ordinances:
A. 
Acts by agents. When an ordinance requires an act be done by a person which may be legally performed by an authorized agent of that principal person, the requirement shall be construed to include all acts performed by such agents.
B. 
City. "City" shall refer to the City of Park Falls, Price County, Wisconsin.
C. 
Code and Code of Ordinances. The words "Codes," "Municipal Code" and "Code of Ordinances" when used in any section of this Code shall refer to this Code of Ordinances of the City of Park Falls unless the context of the section clearly indicates otherwise.
D. 
Computation of time. In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by this Code, the day of the act or event from which the period of time begins to run shall not be included, but the last day of the period shall be included, unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday. If the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than 10 days, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation. As used in this section, "legal holiday" means any statewide legal holiday specified by state law and any other City holiday designated by the Common Council.
E. 
Fine. The term "fine" shall be the equivalent of the word "forfeiture," and vice versa.
F. 
Gender. Every word in this Code referring to the masculine gender shall also be construed to apply to females, and vice versa; the masculine gender is used solely in the interest of brevity.
G. 
General rule. All words and phrases shall be construed according to their plain meaning in common usage. However, words or phrases with a technical or special meaning shall be understood and construed according to that technical or special meaning if such is the intent of the Code.
H. 
Joint authority. All words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more City officers or employees shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers of other persons.
I. 
Person. The word "person" shall mean any of the following entities: natural persons, corporations, partnerships, associations, bodies politic or any other entity of any kind which is capable of being sued.
J. 
Repeal. When any ordinance having the effect of repealing a prior ordinance is itself repealed, such repeal shall not be construed to revive the prior ordinance or any part thereof, unless expressly so provided.
K. 
Singular and plural. Every word in this Code referring to the singular number only shall also be construed to apply to several persons or things, and every word in this Code referred to a plural number shall also be construed to apply to one person or thing.
L. 
Tense. The use of any verb in the present tense shall not preclude the interpretation of the verb in the future tense where appropriate.
M. 
Wisconsin Statutes. The term "Wisconsin Statutes" and its abbreviation as "Wis. Stats." shall mean the Wisconsin Statutes as of the adoption of this Code, as amended or renumbered from time to time.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. II)]
N. 
Wisconsin Administrative Code. The term "Wisconsin Administrative Code" and its abbreviation as "Wis. Adm. Code" shall mean the Wisconsin Administrative Code as of the adoption of this Code, as amended or renumbered from time to time.
A. 
General penalty. Except where a penalty is provided elsewhere in this Code, any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Code shall, upon conviction of such violation, be subject to a penalty, which shall be as follows:
(1) 
First offense — penalty. Any person who shall violate any provision of this Code shall, upon conviction thereof, forfeit not less than $10 nor more than $500, together with the costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such forfeiture and costs of prosecution, shall be imprisoned in the county jail until such forfeiture and costs are paid, but not exceeding six months.
(2) 
Second and subsequent offenses — penalty. Any person found guilty of violating any ordinance or part of an ordinance of this Code who shall previously have been convicted of a violation of the same ordinance within one year shall, upon conviction thereof, forfeit not less than $25 nor more than $1,000 for each such offense, together with costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such forfeiture and costs, shall be imprisoned in the county jail until such forfeiture and costs of prosecution are paid, but not exceeding six months.
B. 
Continued violations. Each violation and each day a violation continues or occurs shall constitute a separate offense. Nothing in this Code shall preclude the City from maintaining any appropriate action to prevent or remove a violation of any provision of this Code.
C. 
Other remedies.
(1) 
The City shall have any and all other remedies afforded by the Wisconsin Statutes in addition to the forfeitures and costs of prosecution above.
(2) 
Execution against defendant's property. Whenever any person fails to pay a forfeiture and costs of prosecution upon the order of any court for violation of any ordinance of the City, the court may, in lieu of ordering imprisonment of the defendant, or after the defendant has been released from custody, issue an execution against the property of the defendant for said forfeiture and costs.
[An ordinance adopting the Code of the City of Park Falls and making certain substantive changes to existing ordinances of the City is presently proposed before the Common Council. Upon final adoption, it will be included here as Article II of this chapter.]