§ 718. Construction. 1. References in other laws, etc. With respect to
annexation proceedings commenced on or after January first, nineteen
hundred sixty-four, reference in any general, special or local law,
county, city or village charter, ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation
or document to any provision of the general city law, village law, town
law, county law, or other law repealed by this chapter, in force at the
time this chapter shall take effect, shall be deemed and construed to
refer to the corresponding provision of this article to the extent
consistent with the provisions of this article.

2. Pending actions and proceedings. No action or proceeding pending
at the time when this chapter shall take effect shall be affected by any
provision of this chapter, but the same may be prosecuted, defended or
enforced as if this chapter had not been enacted.

3. Existing rights and remedies preserved. No existing right or
remedy of any character shall be lost, impaired or affected by reason of
this article, nor shall the validity of any action taken by any public
official under the law in force immediately prior to the time this
article shall take effect be affected by the enactment of this article.

4. Severability. If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section or part
of this article 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. Article controlling. The provisions of this article shall be
controlling notwithstanding any inconsistent act of the legislature to
the contrary.