Council debates aligning fireworks code with Ohio law amid enforcement and safety concerns

Council spent a prolonged portion of the work session discussing a proposed code amendment to align the city's fireworks ordinance with state law that allows consumer fireworks on specified days and hours. Councilmember Anita urged syncing the municipal code with Ohio rules for predictability and cited the impact on residents with PTSD and pets.

"I just felt it was important that we look at the state of Ohio's rule about fireworks," Anita said, urging specific days and times so residents know when use is lawful and so callers will not tie up emergency resources during those weeks. She said predictability and public education could reduce conflicts.

Fire Chief Keith warned the council that legalizing retail sales and wider use has correlated with increased incidents in other jurisdictions. He cited regional incident data and said, "Going and legalizing is going to cause some problems...in Miami County, Montgomery County, Greene, and Warren, and Preble County, there were 27 incidents involving fireworks [before legalization] and 48 after — about a 78% increase." He recommended the council consider limiting what types of devices may be sold in-city and use sales restrictions to reduce risk.

Police leadership confirmed enforcement challenges: officers routinely field calls but often cannot locate the source in time, and privacy concerns limit backyard inspections without consent or probable cause. The police chief said the division typically receives between 80 and 90 fireworks-related calls per year and had 20 calls on the July 4 day this year. Council members noted the practical tensions between having a local ban that cannot be enforced and aligning local law with the state.

Council asked staff, the police and fire chiefs, and the law director to research specific statutory language, sales restrictions, curfew hours (staff noted state law commonly sets permitted hours such as 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., with New Year's exceptions), and the resource implications of enforcement. Members agreed to continue the discussion at a later session rather than moving the item to Monday's agenda without more information.