HEARING ON FIREWORKS TONIGHT

Cape Girardeau residents will express their views on fireworks during a public hearing tonight at City Hall.

The hearing will kick off the council's regular 7:30 p.m. meeting.

Council members started discussing the city's fireworks ordinance in July after receiving calls from upset citizens. The police department receives a number of calls each year from people upset by or concerned about their neighbors' use of fireworks.

Most of the calls don't lead to any police action because the fireworks users are within their rights. Currently, city law allows fireworks to be set off between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. from June 20 to July 3 and between 8 a.m. and midnight on July 4 each year.

The law also includes page after page of information on what sort of devices may be sold and where.

Former police chief Howard Boyd Jr. had his say on the law before resigning his position. In a July 23 memo to the city manager, he said the law should be left the same.

If fireworks are banned, he said, all the calls to the police will be about true violations. The amount of time police spend responding to the calls would increase drastically.

Other cities in Missouri have banned fireworks, including Springfield, Jefferson City, Columbia and Sedalia.