After months of discussions and meetings, the Nicholasville City Commission passed the first reading of an ordinance that would set “reasonable hours between which fireworks may be used within the city” during Monday night’s meeting.
The fireworks ordnance came about after the state passed a law in 2011 allowing the sale of Class C fireworks that include bottle rockets, Roman candles and larger items that shoot exploding fireballs into the air.
As a result, many residents in Nicholasville were in an uproar over the rockets’ red glare at all hours of the night.
According to the ordinance, fireworks may only be used during the following times:
• between noon and midnight July 1 through July 4 regardless of the day of the week
• between noon Dec. 31 and 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1 regardless of the day of the week
• between noon and 11 p.m. on Memorial Day
• between noon and 11 p.m. on Labor Day
• between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The ordinance also requires seasonal and permanent fireworks retailers to submit an application to be approved by the police and fire chiefs; provide proof of registration with the state fire marshal’s office, obtain signatures from the city’s planning and zoning office indicating that the proposed location on the application is zoned appropriately; and obtain a signature from the city’s tax office indicating that the business is registered to conduct business within the city limits.
It also requires fireworks businesses to provide a certificate of insurance or other valid proof of general liability insurance in an amount not less than $1 million.
Fines for failing to adhere to the ordinance’s requirements range from $50 to $1,000 and not more than 30 days in jail, depending on the violation.
“I think our folks have done a lot of detailed work on it, and they took a lot of input from business owners and tried to do the right thing,” Mayor Russ Meyer said. “It works for everybody.”
Second reading of the ordinance will be on the agenda for a future city commission meeting.
In other news, the commission:
• authorized the mayor to sign the emergency-operations plan for Jessamine County.
• Donated a 2003 Ford Crown Victoria from the police department to Project Graduation.
• hired Raven Warren as a temporary office assistant with the pay rate of $10 per hour. The position is not to exceed nine months.
• hired Colby Warren as a police officer recruit. He will replace officer Keith Parks, who left the department for the Kentucky State Police.
