Terms Used In Tennessee Code > Title 4 > Chapter 43 - Office of State Geographer

• Capital improvement property: means any real or tangible property needed for a governmental purpose and having a useful life of one (1) year or more, and any real or tangible personal property with respect to which capital outlay notes can be legally authorized and issued by a municipality. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• Chief judge: The judge who has primary responsibility for the administration of a court but also decides cases; chief judges are determined by seniority.
• Code: includes the Tennessee Code and all amendments and revisions to the code and all additions and supplements to the code. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Contracting party: means any party to a contract, lease or lease-purchase agreement other than a municipality, and can include individuals, corporations, partnerships, other government agencies, and other business entities. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• 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.
• Governing body: means the board or body in which the general legislative powers of the municipality are vested. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• 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.
• 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}
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Month: means a calendar month. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Municipality: means any county or incorporated city or town of the state of Tennessee. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• Notice of meeting: means the notice of meeting referred to in this part. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Property: includes both personal and real property. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Record: means information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in a perceivable form. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
• Resolution: means any resolution duly adopted by a governing body pursuant to this part. See Tennessee Code 7-51-901
• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• 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: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105