Council Debates Changes to Fireworks Rules

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City of Eugene

Eugene's City Council will likely not pursue a total fireworks ban, but it wants increased enforcement against those who use already-illegal fireworks next year.

In 2014, the Council limited the use of legal fireworks to 16 days a year, around the Fourth of July and New Years Eve. This year, the Council banned fireworks in parts of South Eugene over the Fourth of July holiday due to the fire threat. Only three citations were issued, which Police Lieutenant Scott Fellman says was due to lag time between getting a call and responding to it.

FELLMAN: Next time we do fireworks enforcement on 4th of July or related holidays, we would do that differently. We would put officers in the area where we expect the calls to be and let them go to what they observe as illegal activity.

At Wednesday's work session, only one councilor - Betty Taylor - said she would support a blanket ban on fireworks in 2016.

For KLCC News, I'm Anni Katz.

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Born and raised in Eugene, Anni started at KLCC in 2000 as a reporter and co-host of Northwest Passage. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Anni moved to New York City. She worked in education for several years before returning to her true love, journalism. Anni co-founded and co-hosted Dailysonic, a narrative-based news podcast. She interned at WNYC's On The Media, then becoming WNYC's assistant producer of Morning Edition.