PIERRE — The Pierre City Commission has rejected proposed revisions to the city’s fireworks ordinances that would have allowed expanded, but still limited use. Pierre allowed expanded fireworks use last year due to Covid-19 concerns with social distancing. Pierre resident Harlan Fransen supported keeping the changes…
Travis Duffy spoke in opposition to the proposal telling Commissioners the fireworks noise forced him to go out of town to relatives and not social distancing, repairing fireworks damage to his home and being verbally assaulted by neighbors who were lighting fireworks off in the street…
Pierre Police Captain Derald Gross says complain numbers from previous years were clearly lower than last year…
Commissioner Jim Mehlhaff, who brought the proposed change, says actual people complaining about fireworks was lower than the cited 65…
Fire Chief Ian Paul also did not support a change…
Paul says there were no fire calls from 2017 to 2019 and seven reported last year. Mehlhaff countered those numbers noting that only two of the seven were in direct violation of the ordinance. The Pierre City Commission killed the proposal on a four to one vote with Mehlhaff casting the lone yes vote.
