But it may decide Monday, June 22, to ban fireworks in city parks.

City staff has said many people use parks to set off fireworks, probably because of the open spaces for better viewing and safety. Also, because many of them don’t want to clean up. So, city residents have to foot the bill for their litter.

Neighbors of some parks have complained in the past. So the council plans to vote on possibly eliminating that problem.

Nearby Snohomish County Fire District 1 around Everett is asking for a ban on fireworks. Their board will vote on that issue June 24.

During Marysville’s discussions on a ban, one of the issues that kept coming up was that the city could not stop the Tulalip Reservation from selling fireworks, even if people in the city couldn’t shoot them off.

Ban talk not a concern

At least two of the many folks who sell fireworks at Boom City on the Tulalip Reservation aren’t concerned about all the talk about bans.

That’s because they invite customers to shoot fireworks off at the reservation anyway. That only makes sense since some of the fireworks sold there are illegal to set off anywhere else.

“A lot of people use our lighting area,” said Mike McLain of Mikey’s, which has been selling fireworks at Tulalip for 35 years.

He said many people bring barbecues, and it’s like a tailgate party.

“It’s safer without pets around,” he added. “It’s controlled with security.”

Mikey’s, which opens this weekend, sells higher-end stuff for adults with big displays and big booms. It also sells smaller items that are contained in backpacks for kids.

McLain said vendors often shoot off their products before July 1, so people can see what they are buying.

‘This is our living’

Russell Smith, who owns Freedom Fireworks with his wife, Betty, opened June 16. They also sell huge displays.

“We’ve got some really pretty stuff,” he said. “This is our living.”

Smith also recommends that customers set off their purchases in an open area north of the Boom City vendors.

“Come here and light them,” he said. “Enjoy yourself. It’s beautiful. It doesn’t get crazy. The whole reservation lights up.”

Auburn works with Muckleshoot

Like Marysville, Auburn and Bellingham are near reservations where fireworks are sold. They have had to deal with fires and injuries caused by fireworks. They also have had to deal with complaints from residents about people setting fireworks off on days and at times when they are not supposed to.

They don’t hear those complaints much anymore.

In Auburn, where police Cmdr. Mark Caillier oversees fireworks, they work with the Muckleshoot Tribe.

“We’ve had success working with the tribal council,” Caillier said.

He said the tribe limits the days fireworks are sold, and also the times when they can be set off on reservation land.

The city also limits legal fireworks that can be shot off in the city. If it flies in the air, or makes a sound loud enough for someone to complain, that is a violation of city law. Because some of those types of fireworks are legal in the state, nonprofits who sell safe and sane fireworks are watched closely.

“It narrows down the fireworks stands,” Caillier said. “We enforce it and shut them down.”

That goes for the reservation, too, he said, adding the Muckleshoots don’t have their own police force like the Tulalips do.

Caillier said while Auburn does not have a city show, there are fireworks displays at the Emerald Downs horse track and at the Muckleshoot Casino.

He said they still get complaints.

“It’s not as bad as it used to be,” Caillier said. “They used to shoot at each other with (Roman) candle wars.”

New ban in Bellingham

In Bellingham, the movement to ban fireworks came from the public. A grassroots effort to get an initiative on the ballot to ban fireworks failed because of a lack of signatures. But the City Council picked up the issue and passed a law, which went into effect last year.

“It was quieter than in previous years,” Bellingham Fire Department Division Chief Jason Napier said.

Napier said people were fairly positive about the ban. Police and fire used the first year to educate the public and would confiscate fireworks, but not fine the offenders. Many folks said they didn’t know about the ban, even though it was advertised on billboards and publicized in other ways.

Napier said one advantage Bellingham has over Marysville is the Lummi Reservation, where the fireworks are sold, is about 10 miles from town. Since there are no stands in the city, people have to drive into the county or to the reservation to get fireworks, so they are not as prevalent. Bellingham does offer a fireworks show.

He said the fire department stayed neutral on the issue because there had not been many fires or injuries. The complaints were mainly that fireworks were a nuisance.

“People said they were leaving town to get away, and they had to lock up their animals,” Napier said, adding the aerial stuff is so loud. “It wasn’t a public safety issue as much as livability for the community.”