By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Conditions are wet enough to permit consumer fireworks for the 2015 Fourth of July holiday, agreed Hays city commissioners during their Thursday night work session

“We’ve had adequate rain and the (city’s) Smoky Hill water wells are in good shape,” said commissioner Henry Schwaller.

The sale and use of fireworks is permitted by city ordinance in Hays on July 2, 3 and 4 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 11 p.m.

The ordinance also requires the city commission to make a determination whether to suspend the sale and use of fireworks–if weather conditions are dry and there is a fire threat–at the second regular meeting in May.

The burn ban enacted in March for rural areas of Ellis County was lifted May 4 because of the recent rains.

Vice-mayor Shaun Musil still suggested reducing the number of days allowed to discharge fireworks

“I brought this up last year and it went nowhere…there’s no doubt a lot of people don’t like fireworks.  We found that out loud and clear last year,” he said.

“They don’t like the noise and they don’t like the mess.”

Roy Herman, co-owner of Taz Fireworks which works with non-profit groups and their fundraisers, spoke in favor of keeping the three days, as did Commissioner Lance Jones.

“I’m a fireworks shooter myself,” Jones said.  “I think part of the good reason for having more than one day is if it rains or there’s bad weather, you have other days to go off and shoot them.”

Jones suggested a “hefty fine–a $1,000 fine,” doubling the current fine of $500, if someone shoots fireworks during banned hours or does not pick up their debris.

“It’s truly a difficult ordinance to enforce,” Police Chief Don Scheibler told commissioners.

“As you drive by you see the fireworks go off two blocks away.  By the time you get there, nobody’s there.  Or , there’s a 4-generation family sitting in the front yard…do we haul grandma off to jail?”

Most people do abide by the rules.

In 2014, HPD responded to 49 calls about fireworks complaints, according to Scheibler.

“Twenty of those were between 11 p.m. and midnight July 4th.  So after going to the big fireworks display (at the Wild West Fest), people go home with their family and they’ve got to finish shooting off their fireworks,” he said.

“There’s not much of a problem between the 27th and the 5th,” Scheibler added.

State law allows the sale of fireworks from June 27 until July 5.