Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes > Chapter 103B > METROPOLITAN SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT

• Access: means entrance onto the premises of the property owner and an easement for purposes of surveying, designing, installing, inspecting, maintaining, operating, repairing, replacing, or removing equipment used in the construction and operation of a cable communications system. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Adult: means an individual 18 years of age or older. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Affiliated company: means a person, company, corporation, or other entity in which the utility has an affiliated interest as defined under section 216B. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Attorney-in-fact: A person who, acting as an agent, is given written authorization by another person to transact business for him (her) out of court.
• Balanced budget: A budget in which receipts equal outlays.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Cable communications system: means a system that (1) provides the service of receiving and amplifying (i) programs broadcast by one or more television or radio stations and (ii) other programs originated by a person operating a cable communications system or by another person, and (2) distributes those programs by wire, cable, microwave, or other means, regardless of whether the means are owned or leased, to persons who subscribe to the service. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Chair: includes chairman, chairwoman, and chairperson. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
• children: includes children by birth or adoption;

  (9) "day" comprises the time from midnight to the next midnight;

  (10) "fiscal year" means the year by or for which accounts are reckoned;

  (11) "hereafter" means a reference to the time after the time when the law containing such word takes effect;

  (12) "heretofore" means a reference to the time previous to the time when the law containing such word takes effect;

  (13) "judicial sale" means a sale conducted by an officer or person authorized for the purpose by some competent tribunal;

  (14) "minor" means an individual under the age of 18 years;

  (15) "money" means lawful money of the United States;

  (16) "night time" means the time from sunset to sunrise;

  (17) "non compos mentis" refers to an individual of unsound mind;

  (18) "notary" means a notary public;

  (19) "now" in any provision of a law referring to other laws in force, or to persons in office, or to any facts or circumstances as existing, relates to the laws in force, or to the persons in office, or to the facts or circumstances existing, respectively, on the effective date of such provision;

  (20) "verified" when used in reference to writings, means supported by oath or affirmation. See Minnesota Statutes 645.45

• Competitive service: means a service that has been determined to be subject to effective competition or emerging competition. See Minnesota Statutes 237.57
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Core service unit: means the municipality, or, in the case of a joint powers agreement, municipalities, in which a cable communications system first provides service under a lawful franchise and from which the cable communications system extends service into additional areas which are included in the boundaries of a cable service territory. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• entity: means an independent, nonprofit corporation to govern the operation of the regional channel. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. ^{Source: U.S. Courts}
• estimated market value: has the meaning given in section 273. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Extension area: means a municipality or municipalities located outside the franchise boundaries of the core service unit. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Extension permit: means any authorization granted by an extension area in the form of a franchise, privilege, permit, license or other municipal authorization to construct, operate, maintain, or manage a cable communications system within the boundaries of the extension area. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Foreclosure: A legal process in which property that is collateral or security for a loan may be sold to help repay the loan when the loan is in default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Franchise: means any authorization granted by a municipality in the form of a franchise, privilege, permit, license or other municipal authorization to construct, operate, maintain, or manage a cable communications system in any municipality. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Head end: means the electronic control center of a cable communications system, which includes antennas, preamplifiers, frequency converters, demodulators, modulators and other related equipment which receives, amplifies, filters and converts incoming signals to cable system channels. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Indemnification: In general, a collateral contract or assurance under which one person agrees to secure another person against either anticipated financial losses or potential adverse legal consequences. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Injunction: An order of the court prohibiting (or compelling) the performance of a specific act to prevent irreparable damage or injury.
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Local exchange carrier: means a telephone company or telecommunications carrier providing local exchange service. See Minnesota Statutes 237.01
• Majority: means with respect to an individual the period of time after the individual reaches the age of 18. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
• Master antenna television system: means any system which serves only the residents of one or more apartment dwellings under common ownership, control or management and any commercial establishment located on the premises of such apartment house and which transmits only signals broadcast over the air by stations which may be normally viewed or heard locally without objectionable interference, and which does not provide any additional service over its facilities other than closed-circuit security viewing services. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Minor: means an individual under the age of 18. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
• Minority: means with respect to an individual the period of time during which the individual is a minor. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
• Month: means a calendar month and "year" means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and "year" is equivalent to the expression "year of our Lord. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Multiple dwelling complex: means a site, lot, field, or tract of land or water, other than a common interest community or mobile home park, whether occupied or under construction, containing more than four dwelling units. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Municipality: means any organized town, city, or county with respect to the unorganized territory within its boundaries. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Oath: includes "affirmation" in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath; and in like cases "swear" includes "affirm" and "sworn" "affirmed. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
• Other providers of television programming or cable communications services: means operators of master antenna television systems (MATV), satellite master antenna television systems (SMATV), multipoint distributions systems (MDS), and direct broadcast satellite systems (DBS). See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Person: means any individual, trustee, partnership, municipality, association, corporation or other legal entity. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Program: means any broadcast-type program, signal, message, graphics, data, or communication content service. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Property owner: means any person with a recorded interest in a multiple dwelling complex, or person known to the person operating a cable communications system to be an owner, or the authorized agent of the person. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Public law: A public bill or joint resolution that has passed both chambers and been enacted into law. Public laws have general applicability nationwide.
• Public waters: means public waters as defined in section 103G. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Radio common carrier: means a person, firm, association, or corporation which owns, operates, or otherwise furnishes to the public any paging or other mobile telecommunications service by means of the use of radio signals and connection to a telephone network. See Minnesota Statutes 237.01
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Resident: means a person or entity paying rent to a property owner. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• State: means the state of Minnesota. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Tax: means any fee, charge, exaction, or assessment imposed by a governmental entity on an individual, person, entity, transaction, good, service, or other thing. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Telecommunications carrier: means a person, firm, association, or corporation authorized to furnish one or more of the following telephone services to the public, but not otherwise authorized to furnish local exchange service: (1) interexchange telephone service; (2) local telephone service pursuant to a certificate granted under the authority of section 237. See Minnesota Statutes 237.01
• Telecommunications service: means the offering of telecommunications for a fee directly to the public or to such classes of users as to be effectively available to the public regardless of the facilities used. See Minnesota Statutes 237.01
• Telephone company: means and applies to any person, firm, association or any corporation, private or municipal, owning or operating any telephone line or telephone exchange for hire, wholly or partly within this state, or furnishing any telephone service to the public. See Minnesota Statutes 237.01
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• Utility: means a person, corporation, or other entity that operates, maintains, or controls equipment or facilities in this state for furnishing at retail electric service to the public. See Minnesota Statutes 238.02
• verified: when used in reference to writings, means supported by oath or affirmation. See Minnesota Statutes 645.45
• Wetlands: means lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface or the land is covered by shallow water. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.