By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The ordinance regarding fireworks sales and use in Hays has “changed eight times” during the tenure of city manager Toby Dougherty.
Dougherty made the observation during Thursday night’s city commission work session, where commissioners talked about it again at the request of first-term commissioner Shaun Musil, who wanted a “clarification” of the ordinance.
In late May, city commissioners voted to ban fireworks due to the regional drought. But after significant rains in June, the commission voted during a special meeting June 30 to allow fireworks for three days during the July 4 holiday.
Musil told his fellow commissioners he was “just as confused as the public was. It just seemed like every week during June there was a different reason you four guys had for banning fireworks.”
“I think a lot of the reason was we didn’t want to listen to the complaints. If we don’t want to listen to complaints from vendors and residents, let’s just tell them, and let’s not have fireworks,” Musil said.
Mayor Henry Schwaller said “every year we’ve had fireworks, immediately afterwards we altered the ordinance for the next year:”
No motion was made and no action was taken.
The current ordinance states the commission can decide whether to allow or suspend the sale and use of fireworks at the final regular meeting in the month of May before the July Fourth holiday in order to provide vendors with the proper amount of time for preparation.
When the city does allow the use of fireworks, consumer use of fireworks is allowed between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. on July 2, 3 and 4.
“There is no perfect way of doing it,” said long-time commissioner Kent Steward. “The time frame we set up is what the fireworks vendors asked for.”
The city supplied commissioners with statistics regarding fireworks-related calls to the police and fire departments this year. From July 2 to July 5, four fires were called in and the police department responded to 49 fireworks-related incidents.
City staff recommended a permanent ban on fireworks.