CEDAR FALLS — Residents only had about half an hour of darkness to legally set off fireworks this year.
That’s a scenario officials would like to address after a revised ordinance passed in June lifted the ban on fireworks. The city hoped to reduce the number of police calls by allowing fireworks to be set off during a three-day window around Independence Day. The three-day window was meant to synchronize with Waterloo’s fireworks ordinance.
Officials are reviewing the issue after learning last month that they could only charge violators with misdemeanors, not municipal violations as outlined in the ordinance. People who were fined this summer received refunds.
City staff will present other possible revisions to the city council at some point, addressing the suggestions discussed at Monday’s meeting.
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The City Council has voted 5-2 in favor of the staff investing time and energy in diving into all the possibilities.
Since it gets dark around 9:30 p.m. in early July, Councilor Kelly Dunn suggested 10:30 p.m. be the fireworks cut-off, as opposed to 10 p.m. on July 3 and 5.
Acting Chief Constable Mark Howard said 10.30pm would be “a very good option. If you look at past years, 10.30pm is (when calls) go down, even on nights we consider legal this year”.
The council will finally vote on whether the use of fireworks will be limited to July 3 and 4; whether the window should be extended to include the weekend before the holiday (if it does not already fall); or add dates and times that are set each year.
July 3rd and 4th were proposed because not many people have been reported to use fireworks the day after the official holiday.
“I’d like it to be the 4th of July. Start in the morning and have it until midnight. Have it for a day,” Councilman Dave Sires said. “Otherwise, do the third and fourth, because it’s hard to hold back when you have your fireworks. The Fourth of July is the Fourth of July, whatever day it falls on. This is our Independence Day.”
The request was for Parks & Rec commissioners to “work with the group to encourage the City Council to approve the city’s spending of $8 million,” an increase from the original $5.1 million.
There was talk of allowing the use of fireworks over a weekend – when the holiday does not yet fall on a holiday – because many people are off work and use the time to get together and celebrate.
“I’m trying to find a strategic way to do this going forward so we don’t have to revisit the ordinance every year,” Councilman Dustin Ganfield said. “Part of me would like to see something along these lines: if the fourth falls on or before Tuesday, the previous weekend is also allowed, or (after) Wednesday, it would be the following (weekend), something in this sense, so we can cover a weekend.Personally, I’d be fine with both weekends around the quarter: Friday and Saturday night until 10pm.
Passing a resolution every year would save the city from having to come up with the ideal scenario.
Howard also suggested keeping the hours fireworks are allowed every day they are legal. This year’s cutoff was at 11:00 p.m. on July 4 and at 10:00 p.m. on July 3 and 5.
“The quarter past eleven was confusing. It just makes people have to think a little bit more,” Howard said.
The council is now calling, after a 4-3 vote, for a public review of any plans to expand apartments or residentially expand existing buildings in certain areas.
The Cedar Falls Department of Public Safety deemed the new ordinance a success, reporting a more than 30 percent decrease in fireworks calls from police during the holiday, 52 percent if you don’t include calls generated by agents.
Since June 1, 104 staff hours have been used to enforce the ordinance, 35 of those overtime hours at a cost of $1,260. Two firefighters on duty and two off-duty police officers did nothing more than respond to fireworks calls.
The city spent about $2,300 to publicize the ordinance changes.
Photos: Annual Meskwaki Powwow
Powwow 1
Members of the Meskwaki tribe perform the friendship dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER, Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 2
Veterans are honored Saturday during the annual Meskwaki Powwow grand entrance at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 3
Hand drummers from the Meskwaki Nation perform during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 4
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 5
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 6
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 7
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 8
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 9
Members of the Meskwaki tribe perform the friendship dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 10
Visitors watch as members of the Meskwaki tribe perform the friendship dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 11
Members of the Meskwaki Tribe perform the Swan Dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 12
Members of the Meskwaki tribe perform the friendship dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 13
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 14
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 15
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 16
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
PowWow 17
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 18
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 19
Members of the Meskwaki tribe dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 20
Members of the Meskwaki tribe perform the friendship dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 21
Members of the Meskwaki Tribe perform the Swan Dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
Powwow 22
Members of the Meskwaki Tribe perform the Swan Dance during the annual Meskwaki Powwow at the Meskwaki Powwow grounds near Tama on Saturday.
CHRIS ZOELLER Courier Staff Photographer
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