A citizen from 11th Road appeared before the Marshall County Commissioners on Monday seeking consideration of an ordinance to limit the use of fireworks in the county.
Peggy Gantz said they have had to deal with a neighbor shooting off fireworks all summer long for the past several years. They went to the Sheriff’s Department to see what the county regulation was on fireworks but the staff was unable to find anything specific for fireworks and asked the Gantzs to go to the Auditor’s Office and see if they could find one. After spending several hours looking the girls in the Auditor’s Office confirmed that there was no ordinance limiting the use of fireworks in the county. They were told the county would follow the state ordinance which permits fireworks all year long, day or night.
Peggy Gantz said many times the fireworks are just noise makers and not the pretty one and they typically start after they have gone to bed. They have even had to shut their windows and turn on the AC to drowned out the noise. She said the fireworks aren’t just around the 4th of July but start early in the summer and continue late into the summer.
Commissioner Delp asked if the Gantzs had talked to their neighbors on the issue and said that would be the avenue he would suggest before considering an ordinance that would regulate everyone in the county.
Commissioner Stan Klotz said as president of the Plan Commission, the ordinance should go through the commission for sensible guidelines. He said he would talk to Plan Director Ty Adley and have him look at the ordinances in the other communities in the county, hoping to have them all similar along with seeing how other counties in the area regulate fireworks usage.
