§ 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rule, regulation or document to any provision of the general city law, village law, town law, county law, or other law repealed by this chapter, in force at the time this chapter shall take effect, shall be deemed and construed to refer to the corresponding provision of this article to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.