A house bill to develop a uniform national street and address system awaits approval from the senate making it a few steps closer into becoming a law.
The bill states that “The time has come for the Republic to implement a uniform system of street names and addresses. Street names and addresses will assist emergency personnel to locate people in a timely manner, will further increase economic growth and development, and will assist in master planning efforts at the state and national level.”
Additionally, The Olbiil Era Kelulau believes that Palau has the resources available to make it happen. In the past, Palau has utilized the Geographic Information System (GIS) which is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface on numerous projects.
Each state government will be responsible in naming each road including secondary and public access road after something that it’s known for historically. They will also put street signs around the state. They will then notify the names of these roads to Palau Automated Land and Resource Information System this also includes new road construction and amendments made to the names of existing roads.
PALARIS will play a big role once this bill takes effect, with the OEK being confident in their expertise to carry out this endeavor. They will be responsible to assign the name adopted by the state government to each public road within the republic, assign street numbers consisting of no more than 5 digits in a dwelling unit or business on all public and private streets, and PALARIS will also provide a certificate designating the unit’s street number, name, as well as location to the corresponding dwelling unit or business.
A public record of all streets and numbers will be kept at PALARIS and maintained on a regular basis. A report by PALARIS entailing an estimated budget in order to implement the act will be submitted to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates within 90 days after it’s effective date.
Owners of the dwellings and place of business must have a sign that indicates the street number and name at the entrance. It may also be put close by the road as long as it’s visible and legible.
According to the bill “Any owner of a building in the Republic of Palau who neglects to number or name such buildings as provided in this chapter or who places, maintains, or allows to remain thereon any number or name other than that assigned by PALARIS, shall be guilty of a violation and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of no more than $20.00.”
A $10 fine will be charged to anyone that is seen tearing down, defacing, changing any number or name put up in accordance with this act.