Terms Used In Iowa Code > Chapter 358C - Real Estate Improvement Districts

• Adjourn: A motion to adjourn a legislative chamber or a committee, if passed, ends that day's session.
• 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.
• Amendment: means a revision or repeal of an existing ordinance or code of ordinances. See Iowa Code 362.2
• 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.
• Board: means the board of trustees of a real estate improvement district. See Iowa Code 358C.1
• Clerk: means the recording and recordkeeping officer of a city regardless of title. See Iowa Code 362.2
• Construction: includes materials, labor, acts, operations, and services necessary to complete a public improvement. See Iowa Code 358C.1
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• 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.
• Council: means the governing body of a city. See Iowa Code 362.2
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• District: means a real estate improvement district as created in this chapter. See Iowa Code 358C.1
• 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}
• 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.
• Fair market value: The price at which an asset would change hands in a transaction between a willing, informed buyer and a willing, informed seller.
• 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.
• following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• 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.
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• motion: means a council statement of policy or a council order for action to be taken, but "motion" does not require a recorded vote. See Iowa Code 362.2
• 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.
• Officer: means a natural person elected or appointed to a fixed term and exercising some portion of the power of a city. See Iowa Code 362.2
• Ordinance: means a city law of a general and permanent nature. See Iowa Code 362.2
• Person: means an individual, firm, partnership, domestic or foreign corporation, company, association or joint stock association, trust, or other legal entity, and includes a trustee, receiver, assignee, or similar representative thereof, but does not include a governmental body. See Iowa Code 362.2
• property: includes personal and real property. See Iowa Code 4.1
• property owner: means the contract purchaser if there is one of record, otherwise the record holder of legal title. See Iowa Code 364.12
• Public improvement: includes the principal structures, works, component parts, and accessories of the facilities or systems specified in section 358C. See Iowa Code 358C.1
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• real property: include lands, tenements, hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
• Registered voter: means the same as it is defined in section 39. See Iowa Code 362.2
• Repair: includes materials, labor, acts, operations, and services necessary for the reconstruction, reconstruction by widening, or resurfacing of a public improvement. See Iowa Code 358C.1
• seal: shall include an impression upon the paper alone, or upon wax, a wafer affixed to the paper, or an official stamp of a notarial officer as provided in chapter 9B. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Signature: includes an electronic signature as defined in section 554D. See Iowa Code 4.1
• state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
• Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
• year: means twelve consecutive months. See Iowa Code 4.1