There is hereby adopted the Code of Ordinances of the City of
Forest Hill, Texas, as compiled, edited and published by Franklin
Legal Publishing, Inc.
(Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
The ordinances embraced in this chapter and the following chapters,
articles and sections shall constitute and be designated the “Code
of Ordinances, City of Forest Hill, Texas,” and may be so cited.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-1; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-1; 2013 Code, sec. 1-1; Ordinance
adopting 2021 Code)
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.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-2; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-2; 2013 Code, sec. 1-3; Ordinance
adopting 2021 Code)
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:
Words shall be construed in their common and usual significance
unless the contrary is clearly indicated.
The term “charter” shall mean the charter of
the City of Forest Hill.
Each means the City of Forest Hill, Texas.
The term “city administrator,” “city manager,”
“city secretary,” “chief of police” or other
city officer or department shall be construed to mean the city administrator,
city manager, city secretary, chief of police or such other municipal
officer or department, respectively, of the City of Forest Hill, Texas.
The term “code” shall mean the “Code of
Ordinances, City of Forest Hill, Texas,” the “Forest Hill
City Code,” or the “City Code.”
Whenever a notice is required to be given or an act to be
done a certain length of time before any proceeding shall be had,
the first day is excluded and the last day is included. If the last
day of any period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the period
is extended to include the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday,
or legal holiday.
Whenever the term “council” or “city council”
or “the council” is used, it shall mean the city council
of the City of Forest Hill, Texas.
The term “county” or “this county”
shall mean the County of Tarrant, Texas.
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.
The term “easement” shall mean a right, liberty,
privilege or advantage without profit which the owner of one parcel
of land may have in the lands of another; or a right in the owner
of one parcel of land, by reason of such ownership, to use the land
of another for a special purpose not inconsistent with a general property
right in the owner.
A word importing the masculine gender only shall extend and
be applied to females and to firms, partnerships, associations and
corporations, as well as to males.
The term “highway” shall include any street,
alley, highway, avenue or public place or square, bridge, viaduct,
tunnel, underpass, overpass and causeway in the city, dedicated or
devoted to public use.
Words purporting to give authority to three (3) or more officers
or other persons shall be construed as giving such authority to a
majority of such officers or other persons, unless it is otherwise
declared.
The word “may” is permissive.
The word “month” shall mean a calendar month.
Each is mandatory.
Any word importing the singular number shall include the
plural, and any word importing the plural number shall include the
singular.
The word “oath” shall be construed to include
an affirmation in all cases in which, by law, an affirmation may be
substituted for an oath, and in such cases the words “swear”
and “sworn” shall be equivalent to the words “affirm”
and “affirmed.”
Whenever certain hours are named in this code, they shall
mean standard time or daylight saving time, as may be in current use
in the city.
The word “or” may be read “and,”
and the word “and” may be read “or,” as the
sense requires it.
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.
The word “person” shall extend and be applied
to associations, corporations, firms, partnerships, organizations,
business trusts, estates, trusts, and bodies politic and corporate,
as well as to individuals.
The terms “preceding” and “following”
mean next before and next after, respectively.
The word “property” shall mean and include real
and personal property.
The term “real property” shall mean and include
lands, tenements and hereditaments.
The word “sidewalk” shall mean that portion of
a street between the curbline and the adjacent property line intended
for the use of pedestrians.
A signature or subscription shall include a mark when a person
cannot write.
The term “the state” or “this state”
shall be construed to mean the State of Texas.
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.
Words used in the past or present tense include the future,
as well as the past and present.
This refers to the Texas Administrative Code.
Such abbreviations refer to the divisions of Vernon’s
Texas Statutes Annotated.
The term “written” or “in writing”
shall be construed to include any representation of words, letters,
or figures, whether by printing or otherwise.
The word “year” shall mean a calendar year.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-3; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-3; 2013 Code, sec. 1-2; Ordinance
adopting 2021 Code)
(a)
It
is hereby declared to be the intention of the city council that the
sections, paragraphs, sentences, clauses and phrases of this code
are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or section
of this code shall be declared unconstitutional by the valid judgment
or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, such unconstitutionality
shall not affect any of the remaining phrases, clauses, sentences,
paragraphs and sections of this code, since the same would have been
enacted by the city council without the incorporation in the code
of any such unconstitutional phrase, clause, sentence, paragraph or
section.
(b)
If
any provision of this code or the application thereof to any person,
fact, situation or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of
this code and the application of such provision to other persons,
facts, situations or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-14; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-15; 2013 Code, sec. 1-19; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(a)
The
repeal of an ordinance or any portion thereof shall not repeal the
repealing clause of an ordinance or revive any ordinance which has
been previously repealed.
(b)
The
repeal of an ordinance shall not affect any punishment or penalty
incurred before the repeal took effect, or any suit, prosecution or
proceeding pending at the time of the repeal, for an offense committed
or cause of action arising under the ordinance repealed.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-13; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-14; 2013 Code, sec. 1-18; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
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.
(1976 Code, secs. 1-4–1-9; 1998 Code, secs. 1-4–1-9; 2013 Code, secs.
1-7–1-12; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(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 or adopted
by initiative and referendum 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.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-10; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-10; 2013 Code, sec. 1-13; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
(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,
other than the dumping of refuse, may not exceed two thousand dollars
($2,000.00).
(c)
A
fine or penalty for the violation of a rule, ordinance, or police
regulation that governs the dumping of refuse may not exceed four
thousand dollars ($4,000.00).
(d)
A
person convicted of an offense under title 7, subtitle C, Transportation
Code (the Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways) for which another
penalty is not provided shall be punished by a fine of not less than
$1.00 or more than $200.00 plus such other penalties and costs as
may be provided by such subtitle C.
(e)
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.
(f)
No
penalty shall be greater or less than the penalty provided for the
same or a similar offense under the laws of the state.
(g)
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.
(h)
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. 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.
(i)
In
the event authorizing state law is amended, modified, superseded or
otherwise changed to alter the allowable punishment range, then the
city’s range of punishment shall likewise be amended, modified,
superseded or otherwise changed.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-12; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-12; 2013 Code, secs. 1-15, 1-16; Ordinance adopting 2021 Code)
Any person violating the provisions of any ordinance covered
by Texas Local Government Code section 54.012 shall be subject to
a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.00 per day.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-12.1; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-13; 2013 Code, sec. 1-17)
All references to chapters or sections are to the chapters and
sections of this code, unless otherwise specified.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-4)
The history notes appearing in parentheses after sections of
this code are not intended to have any legal effect, but are merely
intended to indicate the source of matter contained in the section.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-5)
References and editor’s notes following certain sections
are inserted as an aid and guide to the reader and are not controlling
or meant to have any legal effect.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-6)
It shall be unlawful for any person in the city to change or amend, by additions or deletions, any part or portion of this code, or to insert or delete pages, or portions thereof, or to alter or tamper with such code in any manner whatsoever which will cause the law of the city to be misrepresented thereby. Any person violating this section shall be punished as provided in section 1.01.009.
(1976 Code, sec. 1-11; 1998 Code,
sec. 1-11; 2013 Code, sec. 1-14)
The provisions appearing in this and the following chapters
and sections, so far as they are the same as those of ordinances or
resolutions existing at the time of the adoption of this code, shall
be considered as a continuation thereof and not as new enactments.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-20)
(a)
Nothing
in this code or the ordinance adopting this code shall affect any
offense or act committed or done or any penalty or forfeiture incurred
or any contract or right established or accruing before the effective
date of this code.
(b)
Nothing
contained in this code shall be construed as abating any action pending
under or by virtue of any general ordinance of the city repealed in
this code, and all general ordinances contained in this code shall
be deemed to be continuing and not a new enactment of the same ordinance.
This code shall not be deemed as discontinuing, abating, modifying
or altering any penalty accrued or to accrue or as affecting the liability
of any person or as waiving any right of the city under any ordinance
or section thereof in force at the time of the adoption of this code.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-21)
(a)
Nothing
in this code or the ordinance adopting this code shall be construed
to repeal or otherwise affect the validity of any of the following:
(1)
Any offense or act committed or done or any penalty or forfeiture
incurred or any contract or right established or accruing before the
effective date of this code;
(2)
Any ordinance or resolution promising or guaranteeing the payment
of money for the city or authorizing the issuance of any bonds of
the city or any evidence of the city’s indebtedness;
(3)
Any contract or obligation assumed by the city;
(4)
Any ordinance or resolution fixing the salary of any city officer
or employee, unless superseded;
(5)
Any ordinance or resolution establishing and/or prescribing employment,
benefits, and/or personnel policies and procedures;
(6)
Any right of franchise granted by the city to any person, firm or
corporation;
(7)
Any ordinance or resolution dedicating, naming, establishing, locating,
relocating, closing, opening, widening, paving, widening, vacating,
etc., any street or public way in the city;
(8)
Any ordinance or resolution establishing and prescribing the street
grades of any street in the city;
(9)
Any appropriation ordinance;
(10)
Any ordinance or resolution which, by its own terms, is effective
for a stated or limited term;
(11)
Any ordinance or resolution providing for local improvements and
assessing taxes therefor;
(12)
Any specific rezoning ordinance or amendments thereto;
(13)
Any ordinance or resolution dedicating or accepting any subdivision
plat or providing for subdivision regulations;
(14)
Any ordinance or resolution describing or altering the boundaries
of the city or annexing property to the city;
(15)
The administrative ordinances or resolutions of the city not in conflict
or inconsistent with the provisions of this code;
(16)
Any ordinance levying or imposing taxes not included in this code;
(17)
Any ordinance or regulation prescribing traffic regulations for specific
locations concerning through streets, parking limitations, parking
prohibitions, one-way traffic, limitations on loads of vehicles or
loading zones, not in conflict or inconsistent with this code;
(18)
Any ordinance or resolution of agreement with another political subdivision;
(19)
The city comprehensive zoning ordinance or amendments thereto not
in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions of this code; and
(20)
Any other ordinance or resolution, or part thereof, which is not
of a general and permanent nature, or which is referred to elsewhere
in this code as continuing in effect.
(b)
Nor
shall the repeal of any such ordinance or resolution be construed
to revive any ordinance, resolution or part thereof that has been
repealed or superseded by a subsequent ordinance or resolution which
is repealed or superseded by this code. All such ordinances are hereby
recognized as continuing in full force and effect to the same extent
as if set out at length in this code.
(2013 Code, sec. 1-23)
(a)
It
shall be unlawful for any person to willfully obstruct, hinder or
delay any member of the emergency management organization in the enforcement
of any rule or regulation issued pursuant to this article.
(b)
It
shall likewise be unlawful for any person to wear, carry or display
any emblem, insignia or any other means of identification as a member
of the emergency management organization of the city unless authority
to do so has been granted to such person by the proper officials.
(c)
Convictions
for violations of the provisions of this article shall be punishable
by fine to be determined by the scope of the offense and/or state
and federal laws.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-8; Ordinance
200391, sec. 8, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 8, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-1)
There exists the office of emergency management director of
the city, which shall be held by the mayor.
(1)
An
emergency management coordinator may be appointed by and serve at
the pleasure of the director.
(2)
The
director shall be responsible for a program of comprehensive emergency
management within the city and for carrying out the duties and responsibilities
set forth in this article. He may delegate authority for execution
of these duties to the emergency management coordinator but ultimate
responsibility for such shall remain with the director.
(3)
The
operational emergency management organization of the city shall consist
of the officers and employees of the city so designated by the director
in the emergency management plan, as well as organized volunteer groups.
The functions and duties of this organization shall be distributed
among such officers and employees in accordance with the terms of
the emergency management plan.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-1; Ordinance
200391, sec. 1, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 1, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-2)
The duties and responsibilities of the emergency management
director shall include the following:
(1)
Surveying
actual or potential hazards which threaten life and property within
the city and identifying and requiring or recommending the implementation
of measures which would tend to prevent the occurrence or reduce the
impact of such hazards if a disaster did occur.
(2)
Supervision
of the development and approval of an emergency management plan for
the city and shall recommend for adoption by the city council all
mutual aid arrangements deemed necessary for the implementation of
such plan.
(3)
Authority
to declare a local state of disaster. The declaration may not be continued
or renewed for a period in excess of seven days except by or with
the consent of the city council. Any order or proclamation declaring,
continuing or terminating a local state of disaster shall be given
prompt and general publicity and shall be filed promptly with the
city secretary.
(4)
Issuance
of necessary proclamations, regulations, or directives which are necessary
for carrying out the purposes of this article. Such proclamations,
regulations or directives shall be disseminated promptly by means
calculated to bring the contents to the attention of the general public
and, unless circumstances attendant on the disaster prevent or impede,
promptly filed with the city secretary.
(5)
Direction
and control of the operations of the city emergency management organization
as well as the training of emergency management personnel.
(6)
Determination
of all questions of authority and responsibility that may arise within
the emergency management organization of the city.
(7)
Maintenance
of liaison with other municipal, county, district, state, regional
or federal emergency management organizations.
(8)
Marshalling
of all necessary personnel, equipment or supplies from any department
of the city to aid in the carrying out of the provisions of the emergency
management plan.
(9)
Supervision
of the drafting and execution of mutual aid agreements, in cooperation
with the representatives of the state and of other local political
subdivisions of the state, and the drafting and execution, if deemed
desirable, of an agreement with the county in which the city is located,
and with other municipalities within the county, for the county-wide
coordination of emergency management efforts.
(10)
Supervision of and final authorization for the procurement of all
necessary supplies and equipment, including acceptance of private
contributions which may be offered for the purpose of improving emergency
management within the city.
(11)
Authorizing of agreements, after approval by the city attorney, for
use of private property for public shelter and other purposes.
(12)
Surveying the availability of existing personnel, equipment, supplies
and services which could be used during a disaster as provided for
herein.
(13)
Other requirements as specified in the Texas Disaster Act (Texas
Government Code chapter 418).
(1998 Code, sec. 50-2; Ordinance
200391, sec. 2, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 2, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-3)
(a)
A
comprehensive emergency management plan shall be developed and maintained
in a current state. The plan shall set forth the form of the organization;
establish and designate divisions and functions; assign responsibilities,
tasks, duties and powers; and designate officers and employees to
carry out the provisions of this article. As provided by state law,
the plan shall follow the standards and criteria established by the
state division of emergency management. Insofar as possible, the form
of organization, titles and terminology shall conform to the recommendations
of the state division of emergency management. When approved, it shall
be the duty of all departments and agencies to perform the functions
assigned by the plan and to maintain their portion of the plan in
a current state of readiness at all times.
(b)
The
emergency management plan shall be considered supplementary to this
article and have the effect of law during the time of a disaster.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-3; Ordinance
200391, sec. 3, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 3, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-4)
The mayor is hereby authorized to join with the county judge
and the designated representatives/officials of other cities in the
county in the formation of an interjurisdictional emergency management
plan and in the appointment of a joint emergency management coordinator,
as well as all powers necessary to participate in a county-wide program
of emergency management insofar as said program may affect the city.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-4; Ordinance
200391, sec. 4, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 4, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-5)
At all times when the orders, rules and regulations made and
promulgated pursuant to this article shall be in effect, they shall
supersede and override all existing ordinances, orders, rules and
regulations insofar as the latter may be inconsistent therewith.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-5; Ordinance
200391, sec. 5, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 5, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-6)
This article is an exercise by the city of its governmental
functions for the protection of the public peace, health and safety
and neither the city, the agents and representatives of the city,
nor any individual, receiver, firm, partnership, corporation, association
or trustee, nor any of the agents thereof, in good faith carrying
out, complying with or attempting to comply with any order, rule or
regulation promulgated pursuant to the provisions of this article
shall be liable for any damage sustained to persons as the result
of said activity. Any person owning or controlling real [estate] or
other premises who voluntarily and without compensation grants to
the city a license or privilege or otherwise permits the city to inspect,
designate, and use the whole or any part of such real estate or premises
for the purpose of sheltering persons during an actual, impending
or practice enemy attack or natural or man-made disaster shall, together
with his successors in interest, if any, not be civilly liable for
the death of or injury to any person on or about such real estate
or premises under such license, privilege or other permission or for
loss of, or damage to the property of such person.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-6; Ordinance
200391, sec. 6, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 6, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-7)
No person shall have the right to expend any public funds of
the city in carrying out any emergency management activity authorized
by this article without prior approval by the city council, nor shall
any person have any right to bind the city by contract, agreement,
or otherwise without prior and specific approval of the city council
unless during a declared disaster. During a declared disaster, the
emergency management coordinator or designee may expend and/or commit
public funds of the city when deemed prudent and necessary for the
protection of health, life or property.
(1998 Code, sec. 50-7; Ordinance
200391, sec. 7, adopted 10/7/03; Ordinance 2011-05-001, sec. 7, adopted 5/3/11; 2013 Code, sec. 20-8)
