Two years after the Gray fire, the future of fireworks in Medical Lake is on the ballot this fall – sort of

Two years after wildfire gutted the city, the Medical Lake City Council is seeking voter insight on the future of fireworks in the small town.

Medical Lake Advisory Proposition 1 asks voters whether the sale, possession and discharge of consumer fireworks should be prohibited in the city – an ongoing debate since well before the Gray fire burned more than 10,000 acres in and around the town in 2023, said City Administrator Sonny Weathers.

“Historically, every time the council says, ‘Well, let’s talk fireworks,’ it gets the biggest crowds in the meetings,” Weathers said. “There’s lots of people with strong opinions who are sharing their thoughts.”

Medical Lake is one of few municipalities in the region that still allows the sale and use of fireworks, with residents able to set them off on private property from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July. Sales are limited to a short window around the holiday.

Weathers said the council would like to have direct data to pull from when planning for the future of fireworks in the town, which the election should provide. The measure is an advisory vote, meaning it will not lead to any binding changes to law. The council will use the results to inform any potential future action, he said.

Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper said that residents have suggested for decades to put the question to them directly, rather than having the passionate pleas from those on either side of the issue play out at council meetings.

Those in favor of the prohibition cite public safety and quality of life concerns, citing the effect fireworks can have on local pets, veterans and the environment. The latter concerns include the obvious worries about another wildfire, as well as pollution and associated cleanup costs, as stated by the committee in favor included in the Spokane County Voters’ Guide.

Those in favor of keeping firework sales and use in Medical Lake argue it is an important tradition, and that existing regulations are enough to ensure public safety. Enforcement, preparations, equipment and cleanup related to fireworks are a negligible fraction of the city’s budget, the committee responsible for the against statement argued in the Voters’ Guide.

“I really think that it’s about time we heard from the citizens,” Cooper said. “Let us know, and then if the council does want to act, there’s a whole process we will work through.”

If the council does decide to move forward with a ban, state law dictates it would not take effect until a year after their decision, Weather said.

“It’s a very peculiar set of circumstances, and it’s a charged conversation for people on both sides,” Weathers said.

Weathers said the council decided to run the measure during the general election because it usually draws a large turnout, and to minimize the cost to the city. If Medical Lake held a special election, it would have cost upwards of $20,000, Weathers said.

Putting the firework question to the voters during the general election, when several local governments have issues on the ballot, means the costs of the election are more widely dispersed. The cost to Medical Lake is now only around a tenth of the estimated $20,000 cost if it were the only issue on the ballot.

“We just are looking forward to seeing what people have to say when they cast their vote,” Weathers added.