Roads End Improvement Association

FAQ April 26, 2024

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This Month’s Question/Comment: Ending the sale and use of fireworks in Lincoln City should be a top priority for REIA.

 

REIA Board Response:  Each year REIA identifies top policy issues to work on based on member feedback.  The fireworks issue has been at the top of that list since at least 2018.  That was the year we began meeting with city officials and testifying before the City Council about the harmfulness and proliferation of fireworks in the Roads End area, especially around the July 4th holiday. In 2020, REIA worked closely with a fireworks committee which was convened by the previous City Manager. REIA submitted multiple letters with suggestions for changes in fireworks policies in 2021. The committee continued meeting with local officials in support of a fireworks ban consistently in early 2023.  On July 7, 2023, thanks to the support of our Ward 1 City Councilors Elaine Starmer and Mitch Parsons, and of Mayor Susan Wahlke, a ban on fireworks usage and sales went into effect. 

 

This will be the first year that the ban will be in full effect prior to the July 4th weekend.  As we all know, enforcement is challenging for the police, but we are encouraged that the city is embarking on a new and more extensive public education campaign this spring to educate both residents and visitors that fireworks are not allowed in the city.  You can read City Manager Daphnee Legarza’s description of what the education plan entails in the April 13 REIA Meeting Summary here.  Additionally, Lincoln City Police Department Chief Broderick will be our guest speaker at the May 11 meeting, so we will continue to advocate for effective enforcement that is well publicized.