Eunice council declines to repeal fireworks ordinance after safety, tradition debate

A proposal to repeal Eunice's fireworks ordinance prompted a lengthy debate on July 13 before the council voted not to carry the measure.

Fire Marshal Zach Nash told the council that after the Fourth of July the state told city officials they could not enforce the earlier ordinance, and he described challenges with conducting firework patrols: “It is dangerous for them to go out doing firework patrols and he does not like to do it.” Nash also noted that the city's 2023 fire code and state statute allow the city to enforce restrictions on vendors and dangerous fireworks even if the local ordinance is repealed. Councilors expressed differing views: Councilor Steve Almager and Councilor Roxie Luster said they favored restoring fireworks as community tradition, while others, including Councilor Gustavo Castaneda, pressed on enforcement and safety. Mayor John Dean Davis praised first responders and said recent local tragedies had made community celebrations more somber: “anytime you lose a seven-year-old child in our community your heart is going to be heavy; it is hard to have celebration.”

After discussion the motion to repeal the ordinance failed on roll call (MOTION: NOT Carried). The meeting record shows concerns about public-safety enforcement, vendor permitting, and whether the drone show affected festival attendance; no ordinance repeal was adopted.