There is hereby adopted the Code of Ordinances of the City of Bellville, Texas.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
The ordinances embraced in this chapter and the following chapters, articles and sections shall constitute and be designated the “Code of Ordinances, City of Bellville, Texas,” and may be so cited.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
The catchlines of the several articles, divisions and sections of this code are intended as mere catchwords to indicate the contents of the article, division or section and shall not be deemed or taken to be titles of such articles, divisions and sections, nor as any part of the articles, divisions and sections, nor, unless expressly so provided, shall they be so deemed when any of such articles, divisions and sections, including the catchlines, are amended or reenacted.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
In the construction of this code and of all ordinances and resolutions passed by the city council, the following rules shall be observed, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the city council:
Generally.
Words shall be construed in their common and usual significance unless the contrary is clearly indicated. Any word defined by State Statute or Code shall be given the meaning ascribed to it by the statute.
City and town.
Each means the City of Bellville, Texas.
City administrator, city secretary, chief of police or other city officers.
The term “city administrator,” “city secretary,” “chief of police” or other city officer or department shall be construed to mean the city administrator, city secretary, chief of police or such other municipal officer or department, respectively, of the City of Bellville, Texas.
Computation of time.
Defined by Government Code, section 311.014.
Council.
Defined by Local Government Code, section 21.002.
County.
The term “county” or “this county” shall mean the County of Austin, Texas.
Delegation of authority.
Whenever a provision of this Code of Ordinances requires or authorizes an officer or employee of the city to do some act or perform some duty, it shall be construed to authorize such officer or employee to designate, delegate and authorize subordinates to perform the act or duty unless the terms of the provision specifically designate otherwise.
Gender.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.003(c).
Joint authority.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.004.
May.
Defined by Government Code, section 311.016.
Month.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.011.
Must and shall.
Defined by Government Code, section 311.016.
Number.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.003(b).
Oath.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.011.
Official time standard.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.016.
Owner.
The word “owner,” applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant in common, tenant in partnership, joint tenant or tenant by the entirety of the whole or of a part of such building or land.
Person.
Defined by Government Code, section 311.005.
Preceding, following.
The terms “preceding” and “following” mean next before and next after, respectively.
Property.
Defined by Government Code, section 311.005.
Real property.
The term “real property” shall mean all interests in land recognized under state law.
Sidewalk.
The word “sidewalk” shall mean that portion of a street between the curbline and the adjacent property line intended for the use of pedestrians.
Signature or subscription.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.011.
State.
The term “the state” or “this state” shall be construed to mean the State of Texas.
Street.
The word “street” shall have its commonly accepted meaning and shall include highways, sidewalks, alleys, avenues, recessed parking areas and other public rights-of-way, including the entire right-of-way.
Tense.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.003(a).
Written or in writing.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.011.
Year.
Defined by Government Code, section 312.011.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
All portions of this Code are severable as defined by Government Code, section 312.013.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
The repeal of an ordinance or any portion thereof shall be governed by Government Code, section 311.030.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
All ordinances of a general and permanent nature, and amendments to such ordinances, hereafter enacted or presented to the city council for enactment, shall be drafted, so far as possible, as specific amendments of, or additions to, the Code of Ordinances. Amendments to this code shall be made by reference to the chapter and section of the code which is to be amended, and additions shall bear an appropriate designation of chapter, article and section; provided, however, the failure to do so shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of such ordinances. All ordinances requiring new taxation, amendments to the budget allowing expenditures greater than $50,000.00 in any one year or which may have an effect on the city’s bonded indebtedness or credit rating, or which contemplate a substantial change in the operations of the business of the city shall require a super majority vote of Council which shall mean not less than four out of five alderman voting in favor of the amendment, repeal or addition to the Code.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
(a) 
By contract or by city personnel, supplements to this code shall be prepared and printed whenever authorized or directed by the city council. A supplement to the code shall include all substantive permanent and general parts of ordinances passed by the city council during the period covered by the supplement and all changes made thereby in the code. The pages of a supplement shall be so numbered that they will fit properly into the code and will, where necessary, replace pages that have become obsolete or partially obsolete, and the new pages shall be so prepared that, when they have been inserted, the code will be current through the date of the adoption of the latest ordinance included in the supplement.
(b) 
In preparing a supplement to this code, all portions of the code which have been repealed shall be excluded from the code by omission thereof from reprinted pages.
(c) 
When preparing a supplement to this code, the codifier (meaning the person, agency or organization authorized to prepare the supplement) may make formal, nonsubstantive changes in ordinances and parts of ordinances included in the supplement, insofar as it is necessary to do so to embody them into a unified code. For example, the codifier may:
(1) 
Organize the ordinance material into appropriate subdivisions;
(2) 
Provide appropriate catchlines, headings and titles for articles, sections and other subdivisions of the code printed in the supplement and make changes in such catchlines, headings and titles;
(3) 
Assign appropriate numbers to articles, sections and other subdivisions to be inserted in the code and, where necessary to accommodate new material, change existing article or section or other subdivision numbers;
(4) 
Change the words “this ordinance” or words of the same meaning to “this chapter,” “this article,” “this section,” “this subsection,” etc., as the case may be; and
(5) 
Make other nonsubstantive changes necessary to preserve the original meaning of ordinance material inserted into the code, but in no case shall the codifier make any change in the meaning or effect of ordinance material included in the supplement or already embodied in the code.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)
(a) 
Whenever in this code or in any ordinance of the city an act is prohibited or is made or declared to be unlawful or an offense or a misdemeanor or whenever in this code or such ordinance the doing of any act is required or the failure to do any act is declared to be unlawful, and no specific penalty is provided therefor, the violation of any such provision of this code or any such ordinance shall be punished by a fine of not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(b) 
A fine or penalty for the violation of a rule, ordinance or police regulation that governs fire safety, zoning or public health and sanitation, including the dumping of refuse, may not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).
(c) 
Unless otherwise specifically stated in this code, any violation of this code or of any ordinance that is punishable by a fine that does not exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) does not require a culpable mental state, and a culpable mental state is hereby not required to prove any such offense. Unless otherwise specifically stated in this code, any violation of this code or of any ordinance that is punishable by a fine that exceeds five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall require a culpable mental state.
(d) 
No penalty shall be greater or less than the penalty provided for the same or a similar offense under the laws of the state.
(e) 
Unless otherwise stated in this code or in any ordinance, each day any violation of this code or of any ordinance shall continue shall constitute a separate offense.
(f) 
In the event that any such violation is designated as a nuisance under the provisions of this code, such nuisance may be summarily abated by the city at the expense of the violator. In addition to the penalty prescribed above, the city may pursue other remedies such as abatement of nuisances, injunctive relief and revocation of licenses or permits.
(Ordinance adopted 4/20/21)