City staff presented a July enforcement summary and a set of proposed municipal-code changes aimed at curbing illegal fireworks and tightening rules for temporary retail stands. The council discussed higher fines, spacing and licensing limits for nonprofit-run stands but did not vote on an ordinance; staff were directed to return with code amendments after stakeholder consultation.

Neighborhood Services Manager Russ Ducharme told the council the city fielded 129 combined enforcement calls during the July 3–5 enforcement period (a 45% increase from the prior year) and logged 80 reports through the Rancho Cordova Connect system. The city identified 64 properties for administrative citations and issued courtesy notices to other reported locations; citations were issued with a 30-day appeal period and appeal hearings were tentatively scheduled for September.

Fire Marshal Amy Nygren and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District joined the presentation with enforcement statistics for the region: Metro Fire reported a downward trend in total incidents during the July period but recorded 50 fireworks-related fires this year (up seven from the prior year); within Rancho Cordova there were four fireworks-related fires. City staff and Metro Fire inspectors conducted 152 inspections of temporary fireworks booths across the district this year, 17 of which were in Rancho Cordova.

City staff recommended several code changes for Council feedback, including:
- Increasing penalties for illegal fireworks to a flat $10,000 for launches in sensitive places or adopting a stacking approach (for example, $1,000 per illegal device launched) so fines better reflect the total number of violations. Staff noted other jurisdictions use a stacking method to increase reach.
- Raising required separation between temporary stands from 600 feet to 1,000 feet.
- Reducing stands per nonprofit organization from two to one and creating a citywide cap of one stand per 5,000 residents (based on city population, this would preserve the historical average of roughly 17 stands).
- Removing the “planning area” eligibility and limiting eligibility to organizations based inside the city limits, while adding a clearer definition of “principal and permanent meeting place” (examples cited in comments and model documents: permanent structure, playing field or defined service area).
- If a cap is enacted, holding a lottery if applications exceed the allotted number and moving the earliest application submission date to May to reduce confusion.

Representatives from local nonprofits and vendors spoke during public comment. Speakers included Jamie and Donnie Burleson of Bayside Life Church, Kevin Sims of the Cordova High School Music Boosters, Dennis Revelle (attorney for TNT Fireworks), and Michael Munson of the Way of Life Church. Commenters urged the council to preserve fundraising for youth and arts groups, to include nonprofit stakeholders in any rule changes, and to align local eligibility language with the State Fire Marshal’s model ordinance. The TNT representative urged aligning rules to the state model and recommended convening a stakeholder working session.

Council discussion emphasized increasing public outreach and messaging about the penalties (several members urged a stronger social-media and public-education campaign), expanding drone enforcement and improving the non-emergency phone response. Members also debated enforcement strategy (flat $10,000 fine vs. stacking fines), the potential impact on small nonprofits and the risk of disproportionately penalizing low-income families if fines are levied without a clear path to enforcement outcomes.

The council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting. Instead, members asked staff to refine the proposals, return with proposed municipal-code amendments and convene a stakeholder working session that would include nonprofits, vendors and public-safety staff. Staff said they would return with draft code language for council consideration and pursue the recommended outreach steps.

Administrative details from staff: the city will pursue the appeal schedule for citations (30-day window) and continue using UAVs/drones as part of enforcement; staff noted limitations in drone staffing and described plans to evaluate drone deployment and safety staging for drone operators in future years.