Havre OKs New Year's fireworks sales

The Havre City Council voted 7 to 0 at its council meeting Monday to pass the first reading of a change to an ordinance that would allow the sale of fireworks within city limits Dec. 31.

The proposed ordinance would allow for the sale of fireworks between 8 a.m. to midnight Dec. 31. The sale of fireworks within city limits is now only allowed July 2-4.

Council President Andrew Brekke said when the original ordinance was written in 2011, it was done so using language from the fireworks ordinance for the city of Great Falls.

He said Great Falls does not allow the sale of fireworks for New Year’s Eve celebrations, only the Fourth of July, but allows the discharge of fireworks on both holidays.

He added that the Havre Fire Department has been issuing permits each year for a commercial seller within city limits for New Year’s Eve for that one day.

The change, Brekke said, would allow the city law to comply with what the city has been doing regarding the sale of fireworks.

“So that is all we did, just made it match what we intended to do, but the language didn’t make much sense,” Brekke said.

Council member Terry Lilletvedt said she thought the sale of fireworks was allowed for more than two days before the Fourth of July given the large number of firework stands before the Fourth of July.

Brekke said firework stands are up longer outside city limits because the county does not have a permitting process or other requirement of vendors. However, within city limits, vendors have only been able to sell fireworks on the 4th of July and the two preceding days.

The council also passed 7 to 0 a resolution to schedule a public hearing for 7 p.m Oct. 16 to consider a petition for de-annexation of a lot in the city’s east side. The resolution says the meeting will take place at City Hall.

Mayor Tim Solomon said the resolution pertains to a house and property near Eagle’s Park that belongs to Chris and Laura Fisher. He said the lot is within city limits but the house is within county limits and not within city limits.

The Fishers, he said, wanted the property to be within just one jurisdiction.

Lilletvedt asked why the lot was being taken out of the city instead of moving the house within city limits. Solomon said it was because the city cannot provide water and sewer service to the house.

Council passed 7-0 a resolution to assess a special tax against properties within Havre when, after the property owners had not cut weeds or grass after being notified by Havre Public Works that they were in violation, the city did so.

The charge will be included on their property taxes.

The resolution showed 34 property owners owed a total of $7,500 to the city.

Havre City Clerk Finance/ Director Doug Kaercher said some people listed in the resolution came in and made their payments, so the estimate differed somewhat from the resolution council members had seen.

The total amount owed to the city now, he said, is $6,750.

An ordinance committee meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m tonight at City Hall.