Monroe residents press council for stronger fireworks rules as city weighs options

Dozens of Monroe residents told the City Council on July 21 that consumer fireworks are increasingly disrupting neighborhoods, traumatizing pets and vulnerable residents and creating fire risks, and they urged changes to city policy.

The meeting’s first speaker, Stefan Williams, said fireworks set off from a sidewalk near his West Main Street home on July 4 caused a panic attack because of his post-traumatic stress disorder and that he recorded the incident. "Because a rule nobody enforces isn't protecting anybody," Williams said, noting what he described as "46 fireworks calls in the last 2 years, 0 citations in the last 8 years," and asked the council to direct staff to prepare an ordinance to ban sales and discharge of consumer fireworks.

The council then heard about enforcement challenges, fundraising impacts and safety tradeoffs. Chris Von Johan, who said he helps run a fireworks stand that benefits Monroe Christian School, said that sales help local nonprofits and schools and estimated fundraising "just under $90,000" for the school. "A complete ban has not stopped consumers from buying these fireworks," he said, urging enforcement targeted at illegal devices rather than shutting down local fundraising.

Interim Administrator Liam McCorkle presented local data and state constraints. He told the council that calls for fireworks between July 3 and July 6 have risen from about 0.6 per 1,000 residents in 2016 to about 2.33 per 1,000 in 2026, and that Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue records showed eight incidents with fire or property damage in Monroe between 2022 and 2025 and no injuries within city boundaries during that period. McCorkle also noted that Washington law lists prohibited devices and that municipal regulations more restrictive than state law do not become effective for a year after adoption.

Councilmembers described a divided record of public input and several practical constraints. Some members emphasized the symbolic and fundraising value of legal fireworks and urged caution about unintended consequences, including driving buyers to unregulated sources outside city limits. Others said the scale of illegal and high-powered devices used in neighborhoods requires stronger action. Chief Jolly (Police) told the council that enforcement is hampered by staffing and by evidentiary limits—officers can’t easily measure explosive powder after the fact or always identify a specific individual who ignited a device.

Council members sketched a set of options they want staff to refine: tighten sale and discharge hours, ban classes of aerial/explosive devices still legal under state definitions, create a permitting or notification process for neighborhood displays, expand public education and signage at stands, increase targeted enforcement in hotspot areas and explore an advisory ballot measure. McCorkle told the council the city already levies a roughly $1,000 fine for fireworks citations and could consider emergency-authority language for the mayor, fire chief or police chief in high-risk years.

The council did not vote. Instead Mayor Whitta and councilmembers directed staff to return after the summer recess with drafted ordinance options and additional information, including enforcement implications and lessons from nearby cities that enacted bans. The next steps identified include a study session and possible refinements to Monroe Municipal Code 9.26 and related enforcement practices.

Citizens who testified Thursday included pet owners, residents with veterans or people with disabilities who said fireworks inflict real harm, as well as representatives of groups that depend on stand sales for fundraising. Council members repeatedly asked staff to balance public safety, enforceability and community traditions in any draft brought back for consideration.

The council will take up follow-up briefings and possible ordinance drafts later this year; no effective date or formal action was set at the July 21 meeting.