Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1018028
WEEKLY EDITION AUGUST 22, 2018 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 PAGE 2 Portable Sanitation and Local Ordinances KOS RESOURCE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 PSAI will assist local governments The PSAI office deals with phone calls from PROs from all over North America regarding rules and ordinances, some of which are very troubling to the PROs in those areas. But that is not always true. Just as often local officials or lawmakers call the PSAI first, asking for information about how to set or carry out good policy. Here's one example of how that often works. Last week the PSAI took a call from a health department employee from a medium-sized Midwestern city. A large encampment of homeless people has taken root on open land owned by a government entity, and there is no sanitation within the tent city. While citizen debates rage about what to do, business owners near the site want to pay for portable toilets – mainly to prevent the homeless people from asking to use the restrooms in their businesses. The city code doesn't address situations like this one. The caller wanted to know how many units are needed for an encampment of that size, what service intervals make sense, and what other things they should be thinking about. The PSAI was able to answer the official's questions and also connect him with peers in other cities that have faced similar challenges. Although we are glad to help in these "one off" situations, the longer-term answer is usually found in writing good laws and improving bad ones. While the PSAI doesn't have enough resources to actively pursue the creation of good ordinances in every city in the world — or even in North America — we are always on the lookout for news that governments might be creating or updating their laws. In those cases we offer to assist them by providing resources to inform their work. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: A Case Study In 2016 the PSAI learned that the City of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was in the process of adopting a new ordinance pertaining to portable restroom units and hand washing stations. The ordinance they ultimately adopted balances the needs of citizens concerned about waste, sanitation, odor, and aesthetics with practical solutions for seasonal businesses and their patrons. What follows is a description of the process the City of Coeur d'Alene used to develop their new ordinance.