Councilmembers approve annexation of Dove Creek lot for project, and honor city employees for service on work anniversaries

ATASCADERO — Meeting for the first time in a month, on Tuesday, July 22, the Atascadero City Council directed staff to look into ways to strengthen its anti-fireworks ordinance after some residents, during public comment, lodged complaints about the unauthorized launching of fireworks in their neighborhood during the 4th of July.

A large contingent of residents gathered in the City Council chambers to discuss the fireworks issue, but only three spoke for the group, describing how the pyrotechnics made a lot of noise and had many worrying about a possible fire sparked by the fireworks. They also cited a brief city ordinance that makes it difficult for local police to enforce it.  

Cory Meyer was the first, and told of how many in the neighborhood were worried about the professional-grade fireworks, which were causing a lot of noise and concern over possible fires. Meyer said the police were called, but they claimed that, because of a lack of witnesses, they could not do anything about it.

“By the time the police got there, the people had stopped,” Meyer said. “Since they didn’t see it actually happen, they could do only a verbal warning.“

Meyer then introduced a series of videos that were brought to the meeting showing the fireworks going off, with the audio displaying the sound the pyrotechnics made in the sky.

After the videos played, Mayor Charles Bourbeau admitted that the fireworks looked like “professional grade, though not professionally launched.”

The second speaker, who did not give her name, took the podium and had the several residents of the neighborhood stand up to show council how many of them were there, a gesture appreciated by Bourbeau, who said it gave him an idea of how many were concerned without multiple speakers coming up and repeating the same thing.

The speaker went on to say the fireworks set off from the nearby backyard caused the ground to shake and set off some car alarms, and said they were “quite disruptive.”

“It was really a miracle there were no injuries or damage,” she said.

The day after, the speaker said she filed a crime report with the police over the incident, but said that law enforcement is hamstrung in these kind of calls because of a weak anti-fireworks ordinance.

“The fireworks ordinance for Atascadero is just one sentence long, very lax,” she said. “It offers no enforcement power, officers must witness the activity directly, and punishment is a $100 fine.”

Both Meyer and the second speaker made it a point to compliment the police officers for answering the call, despite their inability to take much action because of the ordinance.

The second speaker proposed a tougher ordinance to dissuade people from launching fireworks in residential neighborhood. She proposed one with higher fines, escalating penalties, and better enforcement tools for law officers.

The third speaker, who identified himself only as Stefan, agreed with the request to make the fireworks ordinance much more strict and pointed out that SLO County has enacted a stricter fireworks ordinance, banning all fireworks (including the so-called “safe and sane” variety) and starting fines at $1,000. He also mentioned Grover Beach and Morro Bay as cities that have toughened up their regulations concerning fireworks.

Bourbeau praised the group for its presentation and agreed that the potential danger of setting off fireworks needs to be discussed.

“I moved here in 1985, and this year, there were more fireworks than I’ve heard or seen in all the years I’ve been here,” Bourbeau said. “This is a growing problem needs to be dealt with before we have a major disaster. In fact, I don’t know the hell you can shoot off that many fireworks like I’ve seen this year and not start fires.”

The mayor, with the agreement of council, asked if staff would be able to come back with discussion to put on a future agenda, with City Manager Jim Lewis saying they would be able to come up with something by October or November.

In other City Council business:

Councilmembers unanimously approved the annexation and special tax levy for a vacant lot in Dove Creek, where a mixed-use development is planned, consisting of a 71-unit condominium complex, a 20-room hotel, and nearly 15,000 square feet of commercial tenant space. The project was approved by council in June 2024.

After a public hearing, council unanimously passed two resolutions: Resolution A, which established annexation of the property, and after a landowner vote — consisting of just one landowner — passed, and Resolution B, authorizing the levy of special taxes for the parcel.

Council also made a presentation honoring city employees who were celebrating milestone work anniversaries of 10 years or more. Those recognized were Planning Manager Kelly Gleason, Fire Engineer Colette Layton, Director of Community Services and Promotions Teri Banish, Police Officer Ron Overacker (all 10 years), Fire Capt. Andrew Luera (15 years), Human Resources Manager Rachel Hunter (20 years), and Police Commander Robert Molle, (30 years).

The City Council will next meet on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 6 p.m.