BELL : Reversal on Fireworks Law

Reversing its stand from last week, the City Council Monday voted 4-1 to rescind an urgency ordinance that would have allowed service clubs in the city to be eligible to operate a fireworks stand and which set a limit on the number of permits that could be issued.

But the measure to rescind the ordinance will not go into effect until July 10 because two organizations have been granted a permit under the amended ordinance. At that time, a previous ordinance which put stricter limits on the scope of fireworks sales will take effect again, and the council will start over.

The action came at the urging of Mayor Pro Tem Jay Price, who said he was “deeply concerned” about how the first reading of the urgency ordinance, on April 21, took place. A second reading had been scheduled at the meeting Monday.

“An item like this should have been a public matter,” Price said. The city received a request last week to allow service clubs to sell fireworks. Under the previous ordinance, the only organizations eligible were veteran or patriotic organizations and city employee unions. The council took immediate action to accommodate the service groups because of a Wednesday deadline to apply for a permit.

Price said he would like to see the council start from “scratch” and receive public comments before making further changes.

City Atty. Robert Flandrick said the urgency ordinance could not be rescinded before July 4 because two permits were issued under the new rules, which would put the two groups that applied in a position of selling fireworks illegally.