Terms Used In Delaware Code > Title 29 > Chapter 87 > Subchapter I - General Provisions

• Advice and consent: Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote.
• 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.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• 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
• Area of operation: means in the case of a municipality the area within such municipality and in the case of a county, the area within the county, except that the area of operation in such case shall not include any area which lies within the territorial boundaries of a municipality unless a resolution shall have been adopted by the governing body of such municipality declaring a need therefor; and in the case of a regional authority, shall mean the area within the communities for which such regional authority is created; provided, however, that a regional authority shall not undertake a redevelopment project within the territorial boundaries of any municipality or county unless a resolution shall have been adopted by the governing body of such municipality or county declaring that there is a need for the regional authority to undertake such redevelopment project within such municipality. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• 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.
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Blighted area: means that portion of a municipality or community which is found and determined to be a social or economic liability to such municipality or community because of any of the following conditions:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• board: means the board of directors of the land bank. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Budget authority: Authority provided by law to enter into obligations that will result in outlays of Federal funds. Budget authority may be classified by the period of availability (one-year, multiyear, no-year), by the timing of congressional action (current or permanent), or by the manner of determining the amount available (definite or indefinite).
• Child: means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Community: means any municipality or county in this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Conservation: means the preservation of an area or section of a community, and the supervision and care of such area or section, to prevent the recurrence or spread of slum conditions or conditions of blight. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• 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:
• 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}
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• 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.
• Federal government: includes the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of the United States of America. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• 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.
• Foreclosing governmental unit: means any political subdivision of the State of Delaware, where such political subdivision has the power to cause the sale of real property located within its respective jurisdiction for the collection of liens inuring to that political subdivision. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. ^{Source: OCC}
• General neighborhood renewal plan: means a plan for an area of such size that it will encompass 2 or more projects that will entail renewal activities which may have to be spread over a period of up to 10 years, and for which programming of the entire area is desirable in advance of the planning and carrying out of specified projects. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Governing body: means the city council, town council, commissioners or other legislative body charged with governing the municipality or Levy Court commissioners or other legislative body charged with governing the county. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• 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.
• Land bank: means a land bank established under this chapter and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• 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.
• Liens: means any lien set forth in § 2901(a)(1) of Title 25. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Month: means a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Municipality: means any incorporated city or town in this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• 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.
• Obligee: includes any bondholder, agents or trustees for any bondholders, or lessor demising to the authority property used in connection with a redevelopment project, or any assignee or assignees of such lessor's interest or any part thereof, and the federal government when it is a party to any contract with the authority. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• 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.
• Personal property: All property that is not real property.
• President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• Public body: means the State or any municipality, county, township, board, commission, authority, district or any other subdivision or public body of this State. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real property: includes all lands, including improvements and fixtures thereon, and property of any nature appurtenant thereto or used in connection therewith, and every estate, interest and right, legal or equitable, therein, including terms for years and liens by way of judgment, mortgage or otherwise and the indebtedness secured by such liens. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• real property: is synonymous with the phrase "lands, tenements and hereditaments. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Redeveloper: means any person, partnership, or public or private corporation or agency which enters or proposes to enter into a redevelopment contract. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment contract: means a contract entered into between an authority and a redeveloper for the redevelopment of an area in conformity with a redevelopment plan. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment plan: means a plan other than a preliminary or tentative plan for the acquisition, clearance, reconstruction, rehabilitation or future use of a redevelopment project area. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Redevelopment project: means any work or undertaking to:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• Rehabilitation: means the reconstruction, alteration or repair of improvements, structures and buildings in accordance with the requirements of the municipality or community in its codes, laws or regulations pertaining to building, fire prevention, health, housing, and zoning, and also the use of land, and the use and occupancy of buildings and improvements. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Related activities: means :

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• 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.
• State: means the State of Delaware; and when applied to different parts of the United States, it includes the District of Columbia and the several territories and possessions of the United States. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• United States: includes its territories and possessions and the District of Columbia. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302
• Urban renewal area: means a slum area or a blighted area or any combination thereof which the local governing body designates as appropriate for an urban renewal project. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Urban renewal plan: means a plan, as it exists from time to time, for an urban renewal project, which plan:

  a. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501

• Urban renewal project: means undertakings and activities of a municipality or community, in an urban renewal area, for the elimination and for the prevention of the development or spread of slums and blight, and may involve slum clearance and redevelopment in an urban renewal area, or rehabilitation in an urban renewal area, or any combination or part thereof in accordance with an urban renewal plan. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4501
• Vacancy rate: means the percentage of residential structures that have been uninhabited for 6 months or more within a given jurisdiction. See Delaware Code Title 31 Sec. 4703
• Year: means a calendar year, and is equivalent to the words "year of our Lord. See Delaware Code Title 1 Sec. 302