Budgeted with $300,000, Madison’s Public Restroom Committee is exploring ways to install more public restrooms downtown to aid both the homeless population and shoppers.

Talk of needing more public restrooms downtown has been increasing for at least two years, Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc. and a member on the Ad Hoc Public Restroom Committee, said.

Schmitz said because of changes in downtown, the city needs more bathrooms than it currently has. These changes include more entertainment venues, restaurants that stay open later and more people that are downtown later at night.

Schmitz said the installation of more public restrooms would serve many types of downtown visitors, such as people going home late at bar times, shoppers, visitors to the farmers market and the homeless.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, a member of the committee, said the need for the restrooms is largely in the evening, after the businesses downtown have closed.

“This project has a special emphasis on trying to serve the homeless population,” Verveer said.

Verveer said this project has been on the table for around a year, when homeless activists brought their concerns to the city council.

These activists expressed that the homeless have no way to legally relieve themselves late in the evening and early in the morning, Verveer said.

“There are many businesses downtown that have public restrooms during the day. The issue is that they are locked up at night,” Verveer said. “The committee wants to offer bathroom options during the evening and early morning without imposing on private businesses.”

The county has installed several Porta Potties, three of them adjacent to city parking ramps, in response to this issue. However, the committee is looking to install a more permanent public restroom, Verveer said.

Verveer said the committee has $300,000 for the project in the current budget, and the money was reauthorized for the 2015 city budget.

“Right now we are just gathering information from other communities’ successes and making sure whatever we decide to have will help the most people,” Schmitz said.

Schmitz said communities like Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Canada, in particular have had success with this type of project. These communities have segregated units on the sides of streets that look nice and are easy to keep clean, she said.

Since the project is still in the early stages, Schmitz said the committee has no information regarding specific price tags or locations.

Verveer said the project was not controversial at the Common Council meeting when it was first introduced, but he could see issues arriving when it comes time to decide the type and location of the restrooms.

“Sidewalks are already crowded with sidewalk cafes and street amenities, so finding a location is easier said than done,” Verveer said.