City of Sequim residents to vote on fireworks ban

Published 10:03 pm Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Voters in the City of Sequim will determine whether or not to ban discharging fireworks this November.

At their regular meeting on July 25, Sequim city councilors unanimously approved sending an advisory vote to registered voters within the Sequim city limits on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

The vote will ask residents whether or not to ban discharging all fireworks year-round. If a ban is passed, the council tentatively would act to ban all fireworks by July 4, 2018.

However, the vote would not prohibit sales by four groups, usually local churches/service groups, in tents in an allotted time from June 28-July 5.

Sequim city staff recommended a full ban of fireworks, including sales and discharging them, to city councilors following other jurisdictions like the City of Kirkland.

City Attorney Kristina Nelson-Gross said from other jurisdictions’ perspective, banning sales was key in an effective ban.

“(They say) you are essentially setting people up for failure and there is a certain amount of challenges you’ll face already because of the number of isolated county jurisdictions between peninsulas within city limits,” she said.

City Councilor Ted Miller, who has advocated for banning fireworks discharge in city limits before, disagreed with Nelson-Gross saying the city council holds the right to ban discharging, selling and/or any combination of those.

“I do not believe fireworks are dangerous per se,” Miller said. “They are dangerous in a highly dense population like Sequim. I don’t believe they should be banned in rural areas.”

He added that the city shouldn’t restrict sales tax revenue either.

“It’s perfectly legal to own and buy firearms in city limits but walk by the high school and shoot one and see what happens. It’s the same way with fireworks. If you ban fireworks, the fact that you’re buying here doesn’t mean you can shoot them off here. You have to go outside city limits.”

City Councilor Pamela Leonard-Ray said she favored sending the vote to the public because most people who purchase items in Sequim live outside of city limits and “I don’t like taking away the opportunity for people who live outside of the city to purchase safe fireworks.”

“I appreciate that we are letting residents of city decide on this,” she said.

City Councilor Candace Pratt questioned fellow city councilors’ recommendation, saying “Its seems dysfunctional to allow sales of fireworks.”

“It’s a grand assumption that everyone who is buying fireworks lives outside of town,” she said.

City councilors revisited the topic in June but couldn’t come to a consensus. They later directed city staff on July 11 to write up a proposal for the ballot.

Pastor Dave Westman was one of the local fireworks retailers on hand for the meeting. His church, Sequim Worship Center, has sold fireworks as a fundraiser for the Royal Rangers for more than 40 years.

Westman said he understands city councilors’ concerns and that “they are just trying to put to bed what’s been talked about for all these years.”

Westman said he wouldn’t personally vote for it, saying fireworks aren’t a right but a freedom.

“It’s not something that warrants putting a limit on,” he said.

Public display

Nelson-Gross said a possible ban would prohibit discharge of all consumer fireworks including sparklers and “non-explosive” novelty devices like pop-its.

The Port Angeles City Council voted in March 2015 to ban discharging fireworks within the city limits except on the Fourth of July. It went into effect this summer. The City of Port Townsend banned consumer fireworks in 2003. Consumer fireworks are allowed for the Fourth of July in Clallam County from June 29-July 5.

Nelson-Gross said the City of Port Angeles received 36 complaints about illegal fireworks this year while Sequim received eight calls.

“When a ban is in place, residents are more likely to complain,” City Manager Charlie Bush said.

As part of the city council’s recommendations to city staff, they asked for a cost estimate for a public fireworks display if residents choose to ban consumer fireworks from being discharged.

Nelson-Gross said it would cost between $11,000-$30,000 for a public fireworks display depending on the size of the mortars, length of the display and if the fireworks are discharged from a barge.

Nelson-Gross said if the city did host a public fireworks show, it likely would be on land at a park.

She said for security, signage and other costs, the city would need to budget about $25,000 for a 20-minute show.

No decision was made on a public display.

The Sequim Irrigation Festival’s logging show in May hosts the Sequim-Dungeness area’s only public fireworks display annually.

Cost impact

Nelson-Gross said because of the high number of issues being put on the November ballot, placing the fireworks ban question on the ballot would cost about $1,600 with about $2,100 for the voters ballot.

City councilors appointed a sub-committee of Ted Miller, John Miller and Bob Lake to meet on July 27 to determine if the city would want the issue in the voters guide.

If so, they would need to seek locals to form pro and con committees and write their argument for or against by Aug. 16. A rebuttal from both sides would be due by Aug. 19.

For more information on the vote, contact the City of Sequim at 683-4139 or visit www.sequimwa.gov.