N.Y. ACG Law § 700

§ 700. Construction. 1. The provisions of this chapter shall be\nliberally construed for the purpose of effectuating the intent of the\npeople in adopting section two of article nine of the constitution. It\nis the intent of the legislature to set forth the structure of the\nalternative forms of county government enumerated in this chapter and\nthe manner in which each is to function.\n 2. It is not the intention of the legislature hereby to abolish or\ncurtail any existing powers or rights heretofore conferred upon or\ndelegated to a county or counties or to any board, body or officer\nthereof, unless a contrary intention is clearly manifest from the\nexpress provisions of this chapter or by necessary intendment therefrom.\n 3. It is the intention of the legislature hereby to continue in force\nall special laws passed by the legislature, not inconsistent with the\nprovisions of this chapter, until repealed, amended, modified or\nsuperseded by or pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or other law\nor pursuant to the form of government adopted by the county affected.\n 4. All general laws applicable to counties, not inconsistent with the\nprovisions of this chapter shall continue to apply to a county after it\nhas adopted one of the alternative forms of county government, until\nrepealed, amended, modified or superseded by or pursuant to the\nprovisions of this chapter or other law or by or pursuant to the form of\ngovernment adopted by the county.\n 5. The enumeration of specific powers by this chapter shall not\noperate to detract from the meaning of any general grant of power or to\nexclude other powers comprehended in such general grant of power.\n 6. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, word, section or part of this\nchapter shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be\ninvalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the\nremainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause,\nsentence, paragraph, section or part thereof directly involved in the\ncontroversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered.\n