GAINESVILLE – County Attorney Bill Blalock brought two resolutions to the Hall County Commission Monday afternoon that are direct outgrowths of Georgia House Bill 110, passed just before the end of the 2015 General Assembly.
HB110 allows for the sale of consumer fireworks and Blalock said its passage led to a climate this summer that reminded him of a time decades ago.
“It reminds you a lot, if you lived in the fifties, when there weren’t any regulations and you could just shoot them all day and all night,” Blalock said.
Commissioner Scott Gibbs, who chaired the work session in the absence of Chairman Dick Mecum, agreed with Blalock’s assessment of the July 4th festivities…and late night pyrotechnics…that resulted from the new law.
The first resolution submitted by Blalock seeks to regulate the use of consumer fireworks in county parks.
“Presently under our park and rec ordinances you cannot shoot firearms, BB guns, bows and arrows, or throw rocks in our parks,” Blalock said. “Now that the legislature has legalized the use and sale of fireworks, it was suggested that we probably do not want folks shooting fireworks at will in our parks.”
Blalock explained that the first resolution amended the language in the existing ordinance to include fireworks among prohibited items.
“If you want to have a demonstration it can still be permitted through the fire department,” Blalock added.
The second resolution, according to Blalock, reflects the limited impact that remains in the hands of local government over the use and sale of fireworks.
“They (state lawmakers) have basically taken from the counties and the cities jurisdiction over fireworks and taken it to the state level,” Blalock said.
“The only thing they left us with in the bill…says if a non-profit organization wants to set up a temporary fireworks stand for a fundraiser, that has to be licensed through the county or the municipality; everything else is licensed at the state level.”
Blalock said he suspects changes will be made to the law when the next General Assembly convenes in January, 2016.
“This bill went through the legislature at 11:45 on the last day of the legislature; apparently was highly supported by some very powerful supporters, and just reached down and took away all authority of the cities and the counties to regulate fireworks,” Blalock added.
“Like you said, nothing good comes at 11:45 the last day of the session,” Gibbs agreed.
First reading and public comment on the twin resolutions will occur Thursday, 6 p.m. at the Hall County Government Center.
