Council debates fireworks regulation

By Avani Nadkarni/of The Herald

The Sumner City Council members, minus an absent Matt Richardson, held a sometimes-fiery discussion on the issue of fireworks regulation at the Jan. 11 study session.

The issue, which had been brought by City Administrator John Doan, Sumner Police Chief John Galle and East Pierce Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief John McDonald, stemmed from complaints from weary residents, Doan said.

As the Sumner Municipal Code stands now, fireworks can be sold and discharged from noon on June 28 to noon on July 6 within city limits. That is more lax than state law, which requires that fireworks not be sold or discharged except within certain hours from June 28 to July 5.

Some cities, like Puyallup, sell fireworks June 28 to July 4 and they can only be discharged from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4.

The point of bringing the issue to a study session, Doan said, was to have council express interest for one of four alternatives: To keep Sumner fireworks law as is, to change the municipal code to match state law, to match Puyallup’s code to only allow discharge on July 4 or to ban fireworks altogether.

No one, including McDonald, wanted the latter.

“It’s an appropriate way to celebrate the birth of our nation,” the fire chief said. “I’m all for that. From a fire department perspective ... we don’t have to celebrate ... over a period of eight days.”

Councilmember Cindi Hochstatter said she supports restricting the time period for discharge and does not want sales of fireworks after the 4th of July.

“I just don’t think they should be for sale on the 5th,” she said. “I think you’re encouraging that kind of bargain behavior and then the temptation’s too big.”

Councilmember Randy Hynek expressed concern at the slippery slope he thinks the council may take.

“My biggest concern is that we’ll get on a slope of banning (fireworks) altogether,” Hynek said. “There are a few concerned citizens but I can bring 500 people in here that wouldn’t want that.”

Mayor Dave Enslow then encouraged council to individually express their opinion so Doan could have a framework to outline an ordinance.

Most agreed that they’ would like to not ban fireworks but to restrict at least discharge to one or two days.

“I have seen (fireworks) coming over my fence four, five, six days before (Independence Day),” Councilmember Curt Brown said. “I think that’s a little bit ridiculous.”

The council also generally agreed that due to the amount of revenue brought to non-profit groups and school groups due to the sale of fireworks, sales should not be as restricted.

“I would like to what the decrease in revenue for the non-profits would be (if sales were restricted to certain days),” Hynek requested.

The issue will now return to the public safety committee, which consists of Brown, Ed Hannus and Leroy Goff, before returning to council with a committee recommendation.