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Council hears proposal to temporarily lift fireworks ban; safety and logistics remain unresolved
Summary
A council member proposed a six-hour temporary lift of the city's fireworks ban for July 4 to keep people in town for the 250th celebration; fire and police raised safety and cleanup concerns and staff said ordinance changes would require nearly two months to complete.
During public comments, a council member (speaker 1) urged the council to consider a temporary six-hour lift of Columbus' fireworks ban on July 4 to encourage residents to stay in town for the city's 250th celebration and to support local businesses. "I think we're missing out on some community involvement," the council member said, and proposed allowing limited, organized fireworks so families would remain in town.
Fire and police perspectives were immediate. Chair (speaker 3), speaking from a fire-safety angle, agreed in part that "it makes no sense to chase people out of the city to have them shoot off fireworks in an area that's more receptive to fireworks," but cautioned about property damage, injuries and post-event cleanup. A participant suggested centralizing activity at a field with fire-department presence so the display would be controlled and the risks reduced.
Staff advised that modifying the ordinance would not be immediate. A participant pointed toward a timeline: a first reading, a second reading and then it becoming effective 30 days after the second reading — a process that "takes just shy of two months," according to a staff speaker in the meeting.
Council members discussed possible mitigations: limiting activity to one controlled location, enlisting volunteer or club help for cleanup (4-H or high school clubs), and organizing volunteer marshals. No ordinance change or formal vote to lift the ban occurred at the meeting; one council member volunteered to pursue planning and stakeholder outreach if the council wished to consider a temporary lift.
The record shows the issue remains in discussion; the council did not adopt any temporary lifting at the meeting and noted the procedural timeline required for any ordinance change.
