BENTON — A proposal to restrict the use of fireworks in Benton to the Fourth of July will be discussed a special town meeting Monday.
Benton residents will vote on the matter Monday night after all comments and questions have been addressed.
The ordinance was drafted in mid-July after an uptick in fireworks complaints, according to Selectman Antoine Morin.
The proposed ordinance would permit the use of fireworks only from 9 a.m. July 4 to 12:30 a.m. July 5. The proposal also states that “aerial fireworks displays shall not be ignited within 100 feet of any neighboring structure not owned by the user, and ground fireworks displays shall not be ignited within 25 feet of any neighboring structure, unless the user has gained permission from the property owner.”
For the past two years, since the ban on fireworks was lifted throughout the state, Benton has operated under the state law, which permits fireworks use year-round from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with expanded hours on Independence Day and New Year’s Eve. State law also requires that fireworks must be used on one’s own property, unless the user is granted permission from another property owner. No one under 21 years old can buy, possess or furnish fireworks.
Benton would be the latest community to enact its own local fireworks ordinance.
“I encourage Benton residents on either side of the issue to attend Monday,” Morin said in an email Friday.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Benton Town Office.
Jesse Scardina — 861-9239
Twitter: @jessescardina
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