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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #6 Firework CodeJoey Bowers Subject: Firework Stand From: Brad Winters Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 2:55 PM To: Joey Bowers Subject: Re: Firework Stand Hey Joey. Thanks for clarification. I really don't mean to make a big deal out of it. It's just we have gotten very strict rules and yelled at in the past by Merlin. For being lday early. And it just seems that because someone is new and can't read the ordinances we are more or less just making an exception. Can you please clarify the fine amount? An average stand brings in 30-50k in sales with larger ones bringing in more. A $100 fine or something is nothing to most of them. Fireworks are a million dollar industry. Thanks! Brad Sent from my iPhone On Jun 17, 2025, at 12:59 PM, Joey Bowers <JBowers @cityofchubbuck.us> wrote: Thank you for letting us know about the two firework stands that were out of compliance with our firework ordinance. We did verify that no other stands had been placed around the City. We reached out to the owners of those stands that had already been set up, with a timeline for those stands to be removed. Since then the owners of these stands have meet with the Mayor about some confusion and asked for a one time exception. They will be receiving a fine for each stand for being out of compliance and with the understanding that this will be the only year that the City will offer an exception. We will be updating the city ordinance to include that any stand that is setup before the allowed date will be given a certain time frame to have the stand removed and if the stand is not removed within that time frame their firework permit will be revoked and they will not be allowed to open nor sell any fireworks within the City of Chubbuck that season. Since we are offering this one time exception to these stands we will also offer the same one time exception for this year and this year only to the other firework stands as long as they contact the city clerk's office beforehand and with prior permission from the property owners that the stands will be located; without issuing a fine. If you have any additional questions or concerns please let me know. <image001.jpg> Joey Bowers City Clerk, AMC I IT Supervisor ibowers@citVofchubbuck.us 290 East Linden Ave. Chubbuck,ID 83202 Joey Bowers Subject: Update Requested: Review Firework Code 8.08.30, 40 From: Joey Bowers Sent: Monday, April 13, 2026 10:44 AM To: 'Brooke @ Family Fun' Cc: Alexis Thompson Subject: RE: Update Requested: Review Firework Code 8.08.30, 40 Thank you for taking the time to write and share your thoughtful perspective regarding the City of Chubbuck's firework code provisions. We appreciate hearing from local business owners and community members, and your input helps inform ongoing discussions about how we support small businesses while maintaining effective city operations. We understand and respect the long-standing role your family business has played in providing fireworks throughout the region, as well as the coordination required to operate multiple locations and support other local vendors. Your experience and the scale of your operations provide valuable insight into how current timelines and fee structures may impact businesses like yours. With regard to Code 8.08.30 and the permitted timeframe for firework stand placement, we recognize your request to extend allowable dates to better align with industry practices and neighboring communities. The City establishes these timelines with consideration for public safety, site management, and community standards; however, we acknowledge that flexibility in scheduling is an important factor for operators managing multiple locations. Your proposed adjustment and the comparison to other jurisdictions will be taken into consideration as part of any future review. Regarding Code 8.08.40 and the associated fees and application deadline, we appreciate the detailed information you provided about regional practices and Idaho State Code. The City's current fee structure reflects administrative, inspection, and oversight costs associated with permitting and ensuring compliance with local regulations. As with other municipal policies, these fees are set based on the City's operational needs and the resources required to support and monitor temporary vendors. That said, your feedback concerning both the fee structure and the application timeline is helpful. We understand your concerns about consistency with surrounding communities and the operational challenges posed by earlier deadlines. These are important considerations, and your input will be included in any discussions regarding potential updates to the code. Please note that any updates or amendments to City Code cannot be completed within the current calendar year. The earliest any potential changes could be reviewed, adopted, and implemented would be in 2027. We understand this may impact your planning, and we encourage you to take this timeline into consideration for upcoming operations. Each municipality establishes its own policies based on the needs, priorities, and standards of its community. While neighboring cities may take different approaches to timelines and fees, these differences reflect local decisions about how best to manage services, support businesses, and meet community expectations. Thank you again for reaching out and for the role you and your partners play in supporting community celebrations and local economic activity. Joey Bowers, idCMC-A, aPHR City Clerk I IT Supervisor (bowers@cityofchubbuck.us 290 East Linden Ave. Chubbuck, ID 83202 208.237.2400 ext.201 Fax: 208.238.2371 From: Brooke @ Family Fun Sent: Monday, April 13, 2026 9:58 AM Subject: Update Requested: Review Firework Code 8.08.30, 40 Hello, I just wanted to follow up on this and see what the progress and next steps of this request is. Does it get scheduled for a Work Meeting? Does it get put on an Agenda? Do we have a meeting to discuss? I'd just like to know the process and where we are in the process. Thank you for your time, Brooke Taylor On Tue, Mar 31, 2026 at 10:39 AM Brooke @ Family Fun <firework gu cr Qmail.com> wrote: Hello Mayor and City of Chubbuck Counsel Members, I would like to request that the Mayor and Chubbuck City Council review and amend items on the Chubbuck Firework Code 8-08. Current City of Chubbuck Code 8.08.30 states: "temporary firework stands may be placed on the retail site no earlier than June 22 and must be removed from the site of retail sales no later than July 7." Firework stands bring excitement and patriotism to our community to be able to celebrate our freedoms. Our family has been in the firework business for almost 50 years operating between 16- 21 locations on any given year from Rexburg to Caldwell. The short set-up date that the City of Chubbuck has imposed does not work for a family business such as ours. My father and brothers set up a schedule in order to travel to each location and put the firework stand in place and get them all ready to receive the necessary product and inspections prior to selling dates. We assist 16-21 families within their local community to be able to operate their own small business. We work hard to oversee that each location is taken care of and that the local stand operator is caring for the property and being a good asset to the community. All other cities that we operate in have set city codes to allow stands to be erected 2 weeks before the state selling date and 1 week after the end of the state selling date,.generally June 10 to July 12. For reference, Idaho State Code allows for stands to be erected May 5 to July 20 (39-2607.7). Thus, the most important thing I bring today is that I would like to request an amendment to Code 8.08.30 be amended to allow stands to be erected between June 10 to July 12, which is customary in our industry. I would also like to request an amendment to Current City of Chubbuck Code 8.08.40 which states 'The application shall be accompanied by payment of a fee of twenty five dollars ($25.00) in cash for the permit and one hundred dollars ($100.00) in cash for an investigation fee.... The application shall be submitted no later than May 15 of the pertinent year to allow adequate time to review prior to the date of the city council meeting at which the application will be considered by the council." We currently have locations in several cities around southwest and southeast Idaho. The majority of the cities follow Idaho State Code 39-2604(4) which states, 'The authority having jurisdiction may assess a fee for issuing a permit under this section which shall not exceed twenty- five dollars ($25)." There is also a $25 fire department inspection fee which is customary in our industry. Thus, most cities that we operate in charge a fee of $50 in total which includes the application and inspection. Out of 21 cities that we deal with regularly, only 3 impose an additional administrative fee, Boise, Caldwell and Burley. It is just not standard practice to impose an administrative nor an investigative fee. Here are some of the surrounding city firework application deadlines for reference: Pocatello June 15 Blackfoot May 31 Rexburg June 1 Heyburn June 1 Rupert May 31 Twin Falls May 23 Jerome June 15 Meridian June 1 Boise May 15 With the information presented above, I would like to request that the Chubbuck City Code 8.08.40 be amended to match the communities and surrounding areas application deadline of June list and adopt the Idaho State Code fee for applications which is $25, along with a $25 fire department inspection, for a total fee between city and fire to be $50. This would be more in line with what is standard and customary for those in the industry. It would also help small business owners, such as myself, be able to have the appropriate time needed to operate our family business. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Please let me know when I can meet with the City Counsel to discuss an amendment to this code change further. Brooke Taylor Family Fun Fireworks CAUTION: This email originated from outside the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.