QUOTE
Bill would grant local control over fireworks
GOVERNMENT: Legislation follows barrage of summer complaints in wake of new law
BY PATRICK GUINANE
pguinane@nwitimes.com
317.637.9078
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, December 21, 2006 1:04 AM CST
INDIANAPOLIS | Cities and towns could set their own fireworks restrictions under a measure authored by state Sen. Vic Heinold, R-Kouts.
The legislation seeks to answer the barrage of complaints that surrounded this July 4, the first under a new state law that legalized fireworks. Heinold and several other Northwest Indiana lawmakers who voted for that new law had promised they would go back to the drawing board.
Senate Bill 9 does not change the law regarding the sale of fireworks in Indiana. Instead, it would give municipalities, or counties in the case of unincorporated areas "home rule" authority to pass local ordinances that restrict when and where residents can set off fireworks.
"I don't think (it's) a cure-all," Mike Bucy, an assistant Portage fire chief, said of the proposal. "But for those who are complaining about all hours of the night or anytime of the year, I think this will help."
Current state law says Hoosiers can ignite fireworks on their own property any day of the year from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., with an extension until midnight on July 4 and Dec. 31.
Bucy said that law didn't stop residents from using city streets as staging areas, and one such display briefly delayed firefighters from responding to a garage fire ignited by an errant aerial display.
In Hammond, the new, more permissive state law brought a sharp increase in noise complaints.
"We probably went from a few dozen a week to a few dozen a day," said Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Moore.
Officials in Hammond, Schererville and Valparaiso drafted resolutions this summer in protest of the law. Valparaiso Councilman John Bowker, whose fireworks resolution passed 7-0, was pleased with Heinold's response.
"I think that's exactly what the city of Valparaiso was asking for," Bowker said after reviewing the legislation.
Not everyone is pleased. State Sen. Tom Weatherwax, a self-proclaimed fireworks aficionado who authored the current law, said he will work to kill Heinold's proposal.
"The state would become a patch quilt of rules, with some communities having no shooting and others limited shooting," said Weatherwax, R-Logasnport. "This would probably take away from what we tried to do, which was keep a statewide, uniform approach to fireworks."
Others have pledged support, including at least two Democrats. State Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, offered to sponsor Heinold's bill in the House.
"Tom (Weatherwax) and I have agreed to disagree on this one," Heinold said. "I think there's support for this. I'm not big on one-size-fits-all solutions."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOVERNMENT: Legislation follows barrage of summer complaints in wake of new law
BY PATRICK GUINANE
pguinane@nwitimes.com
317.637.9078
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Thursday, December 21, 2006 1:04 AM CST
INDIANAPOLIS | Cities and towns could set their own fireworks restrictions under a measure authored by state Sen. Vic Heinold, R-Kouts.
The legislation seeks to answer the barrage of complaints that surrounded this July 4, the first under a new state law that legalized fireworks. Heinold and several other Northwest Indiana lawmakers who voted for that new law had promised they would go back to the drawing board.
Senate Bill 9 does not change the law regarding the sale of fireworks in Indiana. Instead, it would give municipalities, or counties in the case of unincorporated areas "home rule" authority to pass local ordinances that restrict when and where residents can set off fireworks.
"I don't think (it's) a cure-all," Mike Bucy, an assistant Portage fire chief, said of the proposal. "But for those who are complaining about all hours of the night or anytime of the year, I think this will help."
Current state law says Hoosiers can ignite fireworks on their own property any day of the year from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., with an extension until midnight on July 4 and Dec. 31.
Bucy said that law didn't stop residents from using city streets as staging areas, and one such display briefly delayed firefighters from responding to a garage fire ignited by an errant aerial display.
In Hammond, the new, more permissive state law brought a sharp increase in noise complaints.
"We probably went from a few dozen a week to a few dozen a day," said Assistant Fire Chief Patrick Moore.
Officials in Hammond, Schererville and Valparaiso drafted resolutions this summer in protest of the law. Valparaiso Councilman John Bowker, whose fireworks resolution passed 7-0, was pleased with Heinold's response.
"I think that's exactly what the city of Valparaiso was asking for," Bowker said after reviewing the legislation.
Not everyone is pleased. State Sen. Tom Weatherwax, a self-proclaimed fireworks aficionado who authored the current law, said he will work to kill Heinold's proposal.
"The state would become a patch quilt of rules, with some communities having no shooting and others limited shooting," said Weatherwax, R-Logasnport. "This would probably take away from what we tried to do, which was keep a statewide, uniform approach to fireworks."
Others have pledged support, including at least two Democrats. State Rep. Bob Kuzman, D-Crown Point, offered to sponsor Heinold's bill in the House.
"Tom (Weatherwax) and I have agreed to disagree on this one," Heinold said. "I think there's support for this. I'm not big on one-size-fits-all solutions."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.