Fire chief: Fireworks ordinance would be "over governing"

A city law proposed months ago to regulate fireworks in Electric City has gone “poof” last Tuesday night after the fire chief insisted it wasn’t needed.

The ordinance was doomed after volunteer fire Chief Mark Payne appeared before the council and told members it was unnecessary. Payne said he had been associated with the fire department for over 20 years, and fireworks have never been an issue.

“Just because Grand Coulee has an ordinance about fireworks, it doesn’t mean that we need to,” Payne responded.

The fire chief told council members that Electric City is “over governing,” as far as fireworks go.

The proposed fireworks ordinance has been on the council agenda for several months, with the council trying to shape it a paragraph at a time.

Payne’s testimony took a bite out of the effort and the council decided to deep six it, and table it “indefinitely.”

The ordinance would have established, among other things, that fireworks could be set off from midnight until 1 a.m. on Jan. 1, leading Councilmember Aaron Derr to remark that no one waits to start their New Year’s parties until midnight.

Councilmember Lonna Bussert stated that she agreed with Payne.

“We should take it off the agenda and file it,” she said.