Except as otherwise specifically provided or indicated by the contents hereof, all words used in this charter indicating the present tense shall not be limited to the time of the adoption of this charter but shall extend to and include the time of the happening of any event or requirement for which provision is made herein. The singular number shall include the plural, the plural shall include the singular and the masculine gender shall extend to and include the feminine gender and neuter, and the word "person" may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate and to partnerships as well as to individuals.