The City of Wayland will be changing their fireworks ordinance, reducing the number of days residents can shoot from fireworks from 30 to 12 (or 13).
At the June 3 council meeting, city manager Joshua Eggleston said he would be drafting the ordinance to follow the new state law, “so as not to create ambiguity for enforcement on our end.
“We can be more restrictive but not less restrictive,” he said, suggesting generic wording in the ordinance to include allowing the number of days according to state law. That way, if the law changes, the ordinance won’t have to.
“Our ordinance references an obsolete law,” he said.
The new state law allows fireworks Dec. 31 until 1 a.m. on Jan. 1; The Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding Memorial Day until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days; June 29 to July 4 until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days; July 5, if that date is a Friday or Saturday, until 11:45 p.m.
The Saturday and Sunday immediately preceding Labor Day until 11:45 p.m. on each of those days.
In other business, the council:
• Adopted an ordinance to ease size restrictions on accessory structures with an amended roof height of 18-feet to the deck line.
•Announced the 2019/2020 fiscal budget will be presented to the public at the next council meeting on Monday, June 17.
• Police Chief Mark Garnsey announced the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office had a couple of suspects in a bomb threat scare last Friday afternoon at Hopkins Middle School. He also thanked and said he was humbled by the Wayland Area Chamber of Commerce’s #JustSayThanks Law Enforcement Appreciation Campaign dinner.
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