N.Y. Statute of Local Governments Law § 20: Construction

§ 20. Construction. 1. Where a power granted by this statute relates

to the property, affairs or government of a local government, its

inclusion herein shall not be deemed to imply that the legislature has

construed such power as not relating to the property, affairs or

government of such local government or as restricting the powers of such

local government in relation to its property, affairs or government to

those powers included herein.

2. Nothing in this statute shall operate to restrict the meaning of or

diminish or impair any power granted to a local government by the

constitution or by any other law; nor shall the failure to include a

power of a local government in this statute operate to restrict the

meaning of or diminish or impair such power.

3. No power granted in this statute shall be deemed repealed,

diminished, impaired or suspended by the enactment of any subsequent act

of the legislature, unless such act shall be enacted and re-enacted as

prescribed in paragraph one of subdivision (b) of section two of article

nine of the constitution and section twelve of this statute and unless

such act shall contain a specific reference to this statute.

4. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part of this statute

shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid,

such judgment shall not affect, impair or invalidate the remainder

thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence,

paragraph, section or part thereof directly involved in the controversy

in which such judgment shall have been rendered.

5. Powers granted to local governments by this statute shall be

liberally construed.

6. This chapter shall not affect or impair section sixteen hundred

seven of chapter eight hundred seventy-nine of the laws of nineteen

hundred thirty-six.