City Ensures Fireworks Show
Written by Andrew-Rossi on April 20, 2017
With the help of the City Council, Cody will have a 4th of July fireworks show this year.
The Cody Skylighters have for years put on the annual fireworks show, but have operated under their supplier’s ATF license. According to City Attorney Scott Kolpitcke, in years past Flying Phoenix, a company out of Riverton, has employed members of the volunteer organization for one day so they can legally shoot off the fireworks under the company’s ATF license. However, the company has come under new management, and that arrangement has ended.
At the Council meeting Tuesday evening, representatives from the Cody Skylighters requested that the City provide the same arrangement, because as Kolpitcke pointed out, the City is exempt from federal ATF permitting requirements to possess or detonate fireworks.
Kolpitcke said the City would order fireworks from Flying Phoenix, the fireworks would be delivered on July 4, and the volunteers from the Skylighters would set up the display the way they have in years past. The organization would reimburse the City for all costs for the fireworks.
A representative from the Cody Skylighters clarified that this would be a one-year-only arrangement, because after this year, they will hire a professional company to put on the fireworks display.
Members of the council expressed concern that this would set a precedent, because in order for these specific people to become City employees for just a day, normal hiring practices would have to be set aside. Additionally, council members expressed concerns about safety, which were answered to their satisfaction by the Skylighters representative.
On the call, Council Member Landon Greer voted against the request, saying that the liability to the City and the precedent this would set for hiring practices could result in negative consequences to the City.
Council Member Karen Ballinger voted for the request, but pointed out that she was taking a quote, “leap of faith”, endquote. Council Member Donny Anderson also voted in favor of the request, but jokingly said he was only doing so because he felt that if he deprived the citizens of their 4th of July fireworks he would be, quote, “brutalized.”
The request passed on a 6-1 vote.
