The length of time people are permitted to sell and discharge fireworks within city limits was up for discussion at the Alliance City Council meeting on May 16, with members of the public sharing their stance with the council at a public hearing.
The Municipal Code amendment before council members would allow fireworks to be sold and discharged from June 28 to July 4, extending the period to seven days.
“It all boils down to fairness,” said Kevin Foster, speaking in favor of extending the period to seven days. “I feel like 10 days, if it was going to be moved, it moved too far down to four, back up to five. I feel like seven days is the ticket.”
Foster, citing the previous change to the Municipal Code approved by council that limited the number of days to July 1-4, emphasized that shortening the time span takes away freedom.
Wendy Henderson spoke in opposition of lengthening the time period, noting that as a railroad worker, it becomes a safety issue if she and other railroad workers are not well rested.
“With the fireworks as loud as they are now, going 10 days, I can’t go that long with no sleep,” Henderson said. “If the time limits were better enforced, if it was easier to enforce those to where they stopped at 10 p.m. so a person could get some rest, it might be more tolerable. Prior to the state allowing the really loud fireworks to be set off, it wasn’t that bad. But 10 days of those window-rattling fireworks when you’re trying to get rested to go to work, not to mention people going to work on call, we have to go at all different times, you just can’t get rest. Five days, talk about fairness, in fairness to the people who have to go to work the next morning or the next day, I think we should be considered too.”
Henderson said that the change to the five day period, which was approved after the firework season in 2022, was not given a chance to see if it would work. She requested the opportunity for one season of a five-day period to be tested.
Vice Mayor John McGhehey clarified that the ordinance before the council would change the period to seven days, not 10 days. Henderson said that seven days is still too long to go without rest.
Roxanne Foster, speaking in favor of extending the period to seven days, said that a compromise was already made in the past in going down from 10 days. She asked for one full week and weekend to allow families to celebrate when they are able. She noted that firework stands often see sales affected due to weather closures, so the seven day period would allow the stands to make up for the impact.
“The vendors can’t sell and the vendors can’t celebrate either,” said Foster.
Pasha Korber spoke in opposition to the ordinance, saying it undermines the actions the council took last year without testing the amendment that was approved.
“The decision and the vote that came out of the city council last year was representative of what the city council persons received and heard from those who were concerned about this particular topic,” Korber said. “There are several reasons to not change what was voted on last year. One of them I would like to state is that it has not even been in effect for 12 months, so therefore, the community, and the vote the city council made last year, has not even tried what was changed. To bring this issue back up in less than 12 months, and not even over the holiday, we don’t know what the difference is going to be.”
Korber said that at the previous meeting in May when the issue was raised, she perceived council members as basing the discussion on emotions. She asked them to speak with first responders and law enforcement to see the impact of fireworks in the community based on statistics. She also requested council to review the noise ordinances to see if any of the fireworks exceeded the allowed decibel levels.
Korber cited her experience as a business owner in stating that a shorter sales period would likely not see as dramatic of an impact as people believe as people operate on a fear of missing out. She advocated for animals that are affected by the sound of the fireworks, as well as those people suffering from PTSD or anxiety.
“Are we advocating for everyone in the community, or just for who actually thinks fireworks are fun,” said Korber. “Please be mindful that you are representing all of the community members.”
Bob Neville spoke in favor of the ordinance, thanking council members for their service. He reiterated a point that was made at a previous meeting where council members were asked whether they have a vested interest in fireworks and their sale, to which council members, with the exception of Earl Jones, who was not serving on the city council at the time of the meeting, responded that they did not. Neville said he has an emotional interest in fireworks as his son and law and daughter own Foster Fireworks, noting that a portion of their income is affected by this amendment.
“There’s two things we cannot legislate or amend or change, and that is the weather, and the calendar days,” Neville said. “We all know what happens in July and what’s been talked about. If we stay at four or go to five, the weather is going to affect at least one night of sales. With the calendar, if you look at the next seven to eight years, you will see the majority of days, July 1 through 4, land during the week, no weekend. No Saturday or Sunday. I would ask that we continue to look at the seven days.”
Brenda Herian, speaking in opposition of the ordinance, shared her story of receiving a traumatic injury from fireworks in 2020, which will affect her the rest of her life. She explained that the injury has caused her to have varied speech and has led her to speech therapy.
“It was a freak accident, I understand that, but this is my life,” said Herian. “People are up here talking about their freedoms being taken away. My freedoms were taken away in a matter of seconds. I have a voice, I ask that you, please, hear me.”
After some more discussion as well as hearing from Alliance Police Department Sergeant Jim Grumbles and Alliance Volunteer Fire Department Chief Troy Shoemaker regarding enforcement challenges, council members vote 4-1 in approving the second reading of the ordinance to amend the Alliance Municipal Code, with Jones the only member voting in opposition.