RUMFORD — The Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 Tuesday to include an article on the June 9 warrant asking residents if they want to revoke the fireworks ordinance.
The ordinance allows fireworks to be discharged between noon and 10 p.m., except on July 4 and Dec. 31 and the weekends immediately before and after July 4 and Dec. 31, when they can be discharged until 12:30 a.m.
Revoking it means fireworks would not be allowed in town.
Executive secretary Terri Palmer initially gave selectmen an amended fireworks ordinance that had more restrictions.
“I’ve had people coming to me saying that the fireworks bothers their animals, or that the debris from the fireworks ends up in their yard,” Palmer said.
Board Chairman Greg Buccina said restricting fireworks would only make it more difficult to enforce.
“In my opinion, if you’re going to put something before people, it should be an either/or situation,” he said. “Either you want fireworks in Rumford, or you don’t.”
Selectman Brad Adley made a motion to put an article on the warrant ask if residents want to revoke the fireworks.
Also Tuesday, two board members said they wouldn’t support a 5-cent fee on disposable paper and plastic bags, as suggested by Jennifer Kreckel, president of economic development group Envision Rumford.
Kreckel, who is also the town’s attorney, said she wanted to get the board’s opinion on drafting an ordinance similar to one in Portland, which bans polystyrene food containers and charges 5 cents for disposable paper and plastic bags.
“In order to have no charge, customers would bring in their own nondisposable bags,” Kreckel said. “I see the bags flying around town and caught up in trees, and it made me think about possibly bringing something similar to Rumford. I don’t know how the board feels about it, but I thought I’d bring it before you guys before spending time drafting something up.”
“I agree with what you’re saying, and I understand, but I won’t support that,” Adley said.
Selectman Mark Belanger said he also would not support such an ordinance.
Buccina said the issue might be worth discussing.
“Maybe it’s something we can look at in November,” he said. “We can hold some public hearings and let the people speak about what they think about it. Moving forward, I think it might be a good thing to look at, but we should see how the town feels about it first.”
Resident Jim Windover said that when he first heard about the plastic bag ordinance in Portland, he heard a “huge sucking sound.”
“You know what that sound was?” he asked. “It was the sound of local businesses moving to South Portland, where they don’t have an ordinance. You would be getting rid of all the business we have now by charging 5 cents a bag, when they can just go to Mexico to avoid the charge. It’s hard enough to do business right now. Let’s not make it harder.”
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