Missouri’s Hannibal. The last vote on an ordinance to permit Fourth of July fireworks within the city borders ended in a tie, prompting Hannibal Mayor Darrell McCoy to break it, causing him to grin nervously during Tuesday night’s Hannibal City Council meeting.
Regardless of what we decide to do, he added, we are stuck with our backs to the wall.
McCoy broke the tie by allowing the law to pass after receiving confirmation from the council that they would be open to reevaluating the decision in the event of a significant tragedy.
Following the meeting, when asked what alternatives citizens would have if the council’s choice to enact the legislation led to property devastation from fire, City Attorney James Lemon replied that they would be out of luck because it would be hard to determine who was at responsible.
Could someone bring a lawsuit against the city? Indeed. Is there a chance that they will recover? Most likely not, he said.
With a few exceptions, as for military operations or the firing of flares for signaling, the ordinance currently included in the city’s municipal code forbids the sale and usage of fireworks inside city borders. Koehn suggested creating an exception that would permit fireworks to be set off on private property inside the city borders on July 3, 4, and 5 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Council members changed the proposed legislation to include a requirement that the person releasing pyrotechnics be at least eighteen years old, follow the package instructions, and have an adequate fire extinguisher on site in response to Hannibal Fire Chief Ryan Neisen’s worries about fire hazards.
The majority of the people he met with about the law were in favor of it, said to Robert Koehn of the 3rd Ward, who suggested it three times in the past year before it was put to a vote.
In support of its ratification, Koehn was joined by 4th Ward Euhlan Leeders and 5th Ward Michael Fleetwood. Nathan Munger of the 6th Ward, April Azotea of the 2nd Ward, and Scott Haycraft of the 1st Ward were against it.
Munger recounted witnessing the Schwartz Funeral Home burn down at the council’s May 20 meeting after a firework fell on the wooden-shingled roof of the Victorian-style house.
At the May meeting, he stated, “I still carry a little bit of the trauma from that inside of me.”
The vast majority of their people opposed the ordinance, according to statements made by Haycraft and Azotea Tuesday evening. Azotea added that pets and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may also be adversely affected by fire threats.
The brief fireworks celebration isn’t worth risking a veteran developing PTSD, she said. The short-term pleasure is simply not worth the risk, in my opinion, compared to the possibility of burning down someone’s home, an animal running away, an accident where someone is gravely injured, if not killed.
Fleetwood acknowledged that he had mixed feelings about the issue and that he received 50/50 feedback. Because he believed that citizens should be given a chance, he finally voted in favor.
I find it difficult to forecast people’s failures. I would rather give them a chance to accomplish it and then ask them, “How did it go?” “I said.” Although I don’t like fireworks, I’m not sure if you can tell everyone that they can’t do it based only on my personal feelings.
Koehn spoke as a citizen during the public comment portion of the meeting to thank the Hannibal Police and Fire Departments for their efforts during an American Legion event last weekend, well before the fireworks ordinance decision.
According to Koehn, American Legion men and their families raised $50,000 in three days by riding 450 miles across Missouri to raise money for the organization. The police department promptly stopped junctions and redirected traffic to assure the convoy’s safety as they rode right through, even though they arrived in Hannibal early.
I was quite proud of this place as we drove into Hannibal. According to Koehn, a veteran of the Air Force, “Chief Neisen had his people out there with their truck and their huge flag,” which was one of the finest feelings I’ve ever experienced as we turned the corner and pulled into the American Legion parking lot. A large lump was in my throat.
The knot in his throat appeared to have temporarily returned as he complimented Neisen and Police Chief Jacob Nacke again from behind the podium, claiming that their departments were the best in the state, if not the country.
In other news, following almost 30 minutes of deliberation, the council granted Travis Wilson’s request to build a balcony to his downtown home at 303 Main Street. In order to maintain compliance, Wilson will be collaborating with other organizations during the design and construction phase to obtain approval for the balcony itself. However, the council’s approval was required in order to install two supporting posts on the sidewalk.
Wilson was joined at the platform by Bob Yapp of Preservation Resources, Inc., a historical preservation consulting business, who reassured the council that the balcony would preserve the neighborhood’s historical integrity and would not obstruct pedestrian traffic.
In order to give business owners more information about the appeals procedure, the council also decided to approve a new ordinance that deals with the closure of unlicensed enterprises.
A written notice must be given to the city, the business must remain closed until a decision is made, and three further subsections are added to the modified ordinance, authored by Lemon, that outline the conditions for appeal petitions and where they should be submitted.
Last but not least, Andy Dorian, the interim city manager, presented the council with the first reading of an ordinance modification pertaining to Hannibal Commission and Visitor’s Bureau membership. The amended rule would further clarify that no member may serve more than two complete terms in a row in the event that someone is selected to fill someone else’s term. The current ordinance already specifies that no member may serve more than two terms in a row.
Furthermore, the council:
- Approved McCoy s appointment of Justina Smith to the Hannibal Housing Authority, for a term to expire April 2029
- Approved Dorian s reappointment of Quintin Heaton, Beth Knight and Tom Batenhorst to the Hannibal Parks & Recreation Board, all for terms to expire July 2028
- Approved Dorian s appointment of Michelle Huseman to the Hannibal Development District Commission, for a term to expire May 2030
- Approved Dorian s appointment of Lucas Peters to the Board of Public Works, for a term to expire July 2029
- Heard Dorian s recommendation of Hunter Haynes to the Hannibal Development District Commission, for a term to expire May 2028
- Approved a request from former Mayor John Hark on behalf of the Hannibal Bar-B-Que Festival for street closures and a nose level exemption for outdoor performances from 5 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. on Friday, July 18 and Saturday, July 19
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and voted to approve the latest edition of historical design guidelines for the H-1 district as crafted by the Historic District Development Commission; a full copy of the new guidelines can be found in the
June 17 agenda packet
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The city website has a copy of the whole agenda packet for the council meeting on July 1. The next meeting is scheduled for July 15 at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Hannibal City Hall.
