New Bremen City Council Discusses Fireworks in Village

Ordinance 2023-01-04 opts New Bremen out of House Bill 172, and reaffirms a ban on discharging fireworks within the village. Initially Mayor Robert Parker moved to table the Ordinance, as he wanted more time to have it reviewed by all members before passage. The mayor then opened the floor for discussion where Fire Chief Dan Voress and Assistant Chief Lee Kuenning weighed in on the issue.

“We do not see a need for an ordinance to ban fireworks in the Village of New Bremen. During my tenure here, we’ve never had an issue,” said Chief Voress. Chief Voress noted that currently, state law outlines the dates that fireworks are allowable, and that larger displays have to go through the fire department to get approved first. Assistant Chief Lee Kuenning said that with a new ordinance, there may be some grey areas.

“Someone in the community might read it as they can go to the fire chief to get approval, even though it means in a commercial setting. Residents would be coming to us to ask to set off fireworks, and we’ll be the bad guys,” said Kuenning. Kuenning went on to explain that the state bill already addresses the issue, and that if someone were to approach the department, they’ll be able to defer to state law.

Another concern for the ban brought up by Chief Voress was that it could inadvertently ban celebrations the community enjoys.

“We also question the issue of supporting our local teams. If we ban it, are we no longer able to celebrate big games with fireworks? We know the community appreciates that we do that,” said Voress. The discussion continued with Solicitor Jason This asking questions, about the current state of affairs. Police Chief Mike Skinner was also asked to weigh in on the situation as well.

“I feel its pretty clear, I like things coinciding with state law. It makes it easier to enforce, unless there is a need for us to ad an ordinance,” said Chief Skinner. Skinner went on to point out that there are issues as well regarding fireworks.

“If someone drives through town who has fireworks with them, possessing them is a third degree misdemeanor in our community,” said Chief Skinner. The issues with the bill resulted in it being sent back to committee for further discussion.