Mayor Pro Tem says he will call special meeting on fireworks, council debates urgency amid drought

Mayor Pro Tem Coons said on June 22 that he will call a special meeting to consider a resolution addressing community concerns about fireworks in light of the statewide drought emergency.

"I would like to request a special meeting in which we can hear a resolution to address the concerns related to fireworks and the statewide drought emergency declaration," Mayor Pro Tem Coons said, asking staff to help schedule the meeting with at least 24 hours' notice as required by city procedure.

Councilwoman Hatcher expressed skepticism about an emergency session, saying she did not expect it would stop people using illegal fireworks: "I don't know what this special meeting is going to do in terms of stopping people from doing fireworks. If they're going to do illegal fireworks, a meeting is not going to stop them from doing that," she said. Other members also urged that the public safety committee could handle the issue.

Council discussed procedural rules: the clerk noted that 24 hours' advance notice is required for a special meeting and that either the mayor can call one unilaterally or six council members may call it. Mayor Pro Tem Coons said he would attempt to secure the necessary support and schedule the meeting quickly given the July 4 peak for fireworks.

The council did not take a formal vote at the study session; instead, Mayor Pro Tem Coons said he would pursue scheduling and coordinating witnesses from Aurora Fire Rescue and other parties to provide public information at the special meeting.