Hannibal City Council considering amending fireworks ordinance

HANNIBAL, Mo. — The Hannibal City Council is considering amending the city’s fireworks ordinance in an effort to strike a balance between celebration and public safety before things go boom this summer.

Though exceptions are permitted, the current ordinance generally prohibits the sale and discharge of fireworks within city limits. After his initial proposal to amend the ordinance was tabled in August, 3rd Ward Council Member Robert Koehn put the topic back on the agenda.

“There’s been a lot of discussion among people living in the city that they don’t have any place to really set off any fireworks (so that) they can celebrate at their house,” he said. 

The draft amendment states that, if passed by the council, fireworks could be discharged on private property within city limits between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. on July 3, 4 and 5. 

“Some of the things to consider are the noise level and nursing homes, animals, pets — what the sounds would be for them. Those are all factors to consider,” Koehn said.

April Azotea, 2nd Ward Council Member, expressed concerns that the noise levels could trigger PTSD symptoms for some constituents and send pets bolting, thus leading to an uptick in animal control calls. She also mentioned fire hazard concerns.

“I remember when the Schwartz Funeral Home burnt down… It was Fourth of July,” said Nathan Munger, 6th Ward Council Member. “I still have a little bit of trauma that’s in me from that.”

Munger described seeing the old funeral home in flames as a child in the summer of 1983. He said the fire began after a firework landed on the Victorian-style home’s wooden-shingled roof. One bystander described it as “the most intense fire” they’d ever seen.

“You don’t forget that,” Munger said of the fire after the meeting.

Hannibal Fire Chief Ryan Neisen said many of the city’s houses were too close together to safely discharge fireworks. He shared statistics from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, one of which was that the Fourth of July garners more fire reports than any other day of the year — half of which are attributed to fireworks. 

Neisen said that in addition to safety concerns for fires that could be sparked by the fireworks, the fireworks themselves can pose a danger to those using them. More than 300 Missourians were sent to emergency rooms for firework-related accidents in 2023. 

“I personally, not only as the fire chief, I’m opposed to the ordinance,” Neisen said. “As a person who owns property in some of these areas where the houses are close together, I’m uncomfortable with it.”

Mayor Darrell McCoy suggested that, if the issue is that citizens have no place to celebrate, perhaps the city could designate a safe place for citizens to set off fireworks. But to do so on city-owned property would require insurance, and interim city manager Andy Dorian said that the use of fireworks is excluded from the city’s insurance policy. 

Azotea suggested amending the ordinance to allow for smaller fireworks, such as sparklers, but the matter was ultimately tabled for the second time.

St. Elizabeth’s Hospital was another topic of discussion at the meeting, as the council voted to halt the lengthy and tedious process of pursuing historically preserved status for the property, known as the Section 106 process, which would have made it eligible for state and federal funding “for the use, protection and enhancement of historical and cultural properties.

Pulling out of the process will allow the city to pursue further actions on its own regarding the highly anticipated demolition of the hospital, such as seeking bids from local contractors.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s not going to be a cheap process and we all know that,” McCoy said. “But the longer that we continue to kick the can down the road, it’s going to continue to get worse.”

Other business included the council’s election of Nathan Munger, 6th Ward Council Member, as mayor pro tempore for the new administration. With two and a half years on the council under his belt, he is its longest serving member.

The council approved a resolution for the mayor to execute a subaward agreement for a $9,366.90 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant awarded to the Hannibal Police Department (HPD) by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. The money will be used to purchase new ballistic helmets, which are used by the department’s special response team. Their current helmets were purchased in 2009 and will be repurposed by the department’s patrol division in active shooter and high threat responses.

A three-year service contract with Onsolve in the amount of $71,250 was approved for the city’s code red alert system, which  Police Chief Jacob Nacke said sends automated messages to subscribers throughout Marion County and Palmyra regarding severe weather and allows emergency services to send customized alerts when needed. 

The contract is estimated to save the city nearly $4,000 over three years, as the previous contract was renewed on a yearly basis at $25,000.

The purchase of 17 computers and 30 monitors for the HPD from tech company SHI was approved. The department’s old computers will replace dated computer models throughout the city that will soon be unable to update to the latest Microsoft software. 

The council also passed a resolution to authorize the right of way agreements, waivers of appraisal and donation letters pertaining to the city’s Market Street Tap Grant Sidewalk Project. Owners of the properties include the Hannibal School District, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hannibal and Mark and Cara Fitzpatrick. 

In other news, the council:

• approved a request from the Kiwanis Club for street closures from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on July 4, 5 and 6 for the 48th annual Arts & Crafts Festival;
• approved a request from Tammy Riley for street closures and alcohol sales from 8 a.m. August 30 to 4 p.m. September 1 for the Big River Steampunk Festival;
• approved a request from Hannibal Jaycees for street closures, alcohol sales and parade patrol from June 28 to July 6 for National Tom Sawyer Days;
• heard the first reading of Dorian’s recommendations for the appointments of Roger McGregor and Mike Dobson to the Planning & Zoning Commission, with terms to expire in June 2029 and May 2028, respectively;
• and approved a bid from Leon Uniform Company in the amount of $18,444 for the purchase of new shirts and pants for the HPD.

The meeting concluded with the council entering into its seventh closed session of the year. The meeting’s agenda suggested the subject matter involved pending litigation.

Lastly, the two bills previously reported on that would have allowed the city to enact a public safety sales tax to help fund the HPD and Hannibal Fire Department — HB866 and SB104 — both failed to pass through the Missouri General Assembly before the legislative session came to a close last week. 

However, a third bill, HB594, passed May 7 and is heading to Governor Mike Kehoe’s desk for final approval. Pending Kehoe’s signature, the bill will allow the city to put a public safety sales tax to a vote in the next election. If passed, the city will be authorized to enact a tax of up to .5 percent for the purpose of bolstering public safety.

A copy of the entire agenda packet for the council’s May 20 meeting can be found on the city’s website. The next meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in Hannibal City Hall Council Chambers on June 3.