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Puyallup council shortens permissible July 4 fireworks hours, suspends second reading and adopts ordinance
Summary
The Puyallup City Council voted 5–1 on July 1 to change the allowable start time for consumer fireworks on July 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., suspending the usual second-reading requirement so the ordinance can meet statutory timing rules for future effective date.
The Puyallup City Council on July 1 voted to amend the city ordinance that governs consumer fireworks, delaying the earliest legal discharge on July 4 from 9 a.m. to noon and adopting the ordinance on the same night by suspending the second-reading requirement.
Why it matters: city staff said state law requires ordinances that alter fireworks rules before the Fourth of July to be passed in advance of the next year’s holiday; councilmembers said the delayed start would give staff and residents time to prepare and reduce disturbance in the morning hours.
Council discussion and procedural objections: Council member Dorr voted no and explained she would not support the suspension because the item had not been placed on a published agenda per the council’s rules of procedure and because the public had no formal opportunity to weigh in before the vote. The city attorney advised that the council had the authority to waive its rules and that the council’s earlier 5–1 vote to modify the agenda functioned as a waiver.
Enforcement and outreach: Deputy Chief Massey Pialet described the department’s enforcement and education plan for the July 2–6 period, including increased patrol staffing, coordination with the fire marshal for confiscation as needed, and daily social-media outreach beginning the week of the holiday. Citizens were advised to report fireworks concerns either by calling 911 or the nonemergency line; the department said both call paths will be dispatched.
Vote and timing: The clerk recorded the final roll call as five yes votes and one no (Council member Dorr); one councilmember was excused. The adopted ordinance, as stated at the meeting, will take effect on the date the ordinance specifies (the ordinance text as read at the meeting set an effective date one year ahead), following the city’s required timing for such enactments.
What remains unsettled: Dorr and other councilmembers noted concerns about transparency because the item was added to the agenda the night of the meeting; she said the public should have had the opportunity to comment before a final vote. The council’s clerk recorded the roll call and the ordinance as adopted for the record.
