City of Davenport reinstates ban on fireworks

The city of Davenport is reinstating a ban on fireworks within city limits. The Davenport City Council decided on the measure Wednesday evening.

Davenport Mayor Frank Klipsch told KWQC that they made the decision after waiting to see what the public's response would be over the Fourth of July holiday. The council ultimately decided that the new state law hasn't worked out well because of some citizens' irresponsibility and the multitude of complaints.

"What we found was that there was a lot of irresponsible use of fireworks," Klipsch said. "It was creating a lot of problems for people with epilepsy, and PTSD, and a lot of our animals, and people throughout the city and people couldn't sleep."

State law allows for use between June 1 and July 8. For the remainder of that time Mayor Klipsch says Davenport Police will be handing out warnings, and reminding people use is illegal in Davenport City limits.

Moving forward, Davenport City Council will be looking at stricter fines for misuse. Mayor Klipsch says Davenport will work with Bettendorf and Scott County in reviewing a more uniform law in the area, but ultimately they will enact their own ordinance.