Mayor Brown is urged to amend building codes to create a pandemic resistant city

Mayor Bryon W. Brown and the City of Buffalo’s Common Council are being urged to amend a slew of municipal laws and operating procedures, in an effort to cultivate ‘pandemic resistance’ through the city’s building code and laws that regulate businesses operating within the city limits.

Among the ideas being floated:

• All places of business open to the public will be required to install and maintain sanitizer dispensers on both the exterior and interior sides of public and employee entrances.
• Nearest dollar pricing will require businesses to round cash transactions up to the nearest full-dollar price, whereas to eliminate the need to exchange coins, with those additional revenues collected in the form of a city sales tax.
• Temperature screening at the entrances of all municipal buildings, including schools and police stations; and of private businesses where more than 50 persons congregate, including theaters and sports venues.
• Passenger buses, light rail trains, taxi, limo, and riding hailing services will be required to install and maintain sanitizer dispensers for passenger use.
• New bathroom and sanitation infrastructure at parks, basketball courts, and major public spaces.
• Improved sanitation and hygiene facilities at area homeless shelters.
• Free immediate-response testing sites at area pharmacies.
• Availability of immediate-response testing in schools and police stations.
• Require UV lighting systems in all public transit stations, malls, and markets.

It’s expected that Common Council President Darius Pridgen, who has fought the virus, will lead the effort to pass the Mayor’s legislation in the Common Council.