HAMMOND | No new fireworks vendors will be able to set up shop in the city for the next four months.
The City Council on Monday gave final approval to a 120-day moratorium to give the city time to study a potential amendment to the city's zoning ordinance.
According to the ordinance ordering the moratorium, sales of fireworks are legal under state law but sales may be restricted by local zoning that limits where fireworks may be sold.
Fireworks sales currently are unrestricted in Hammond and are occurring near homes, schools, places of worship and other public places, according to the measure. The sites also are not near fireplugs, endangering people and places in case of explosion.
The ordinance, introduced Monday, becomes effective immediately upon the mayor's signature, which must occur within the next 10 days.
The ordinance was sponsored by 5th District Councilman Dan Repay, but it was Councilwoman At-Large JoAnn Matonovich who raised the issue last July in the wake of the Legislature approving a controversial state law legalizing fireworks.
The new state law allows the discharge of fireworks from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily except for certain holidays. Fireworks can continue until midnight Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day and New Year's Eve.
At the time, Matonovich urged council members to write Gov. Mitch Daniels and voice their disapproval.
A barrage of complaints from residents also led the Schererville and Valparaiso councils to draft formal complaints regarding the new law.
Several local legislators responded by saying they would support giving local governments more control of the of fireworks.
In Hammond, Police Chief Brian Miller described last year's July Fourth holiday as among the worst fiascoes in his 16-year career.
Miller reported fireworks being thrown at cars and houses, resulting in minor injuries, fires and an increased cost of manpower.
Statewide, hospitals reported 202 fireworks-related injuries during the first week of July, a 16 percent increase over the same period in 2004.
The City Council on Monday gave final approval to a 120-day moratorium to give the city time to study a potential amendment to the city's zoning ordinance.
According to the ordinance ordering the moratorium, sales of fireworks are legal under state law but sales may be restricted by local zoning that limits where fireworks may be sold.
Fireworks sales currently are unrestricted in Hammond and are occurring near homes, schools, places of worship and other public places, according to the measure. The sites also are not near fireplugs, endangering people and places in case of explosion.
The ordinance, introduced Monday, becomes effective immediately upon the mayor's signature, which must occur within the next 10 days.
The ordinance was sponsored by 5th District Councilman Dan Repay, but it was Councilwoman At-Large JoAnn Matonovich who raised the issue last July in the wake of the Legislature approving a controversial state law legalizing fireworks.
The new state law allows the discharge of fireworks from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily except for certain holidays. Fireworks can continue until midnight Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day and New Year's Eve.
At the time, Matonovich urged council members to write Gov. Mitch Daniels and voice their disapproval.
A barrage of complaints from residents also led the Schererville and Valparaiso councils to draft formal complaints regarding the new law.
Several local legislators responded by saying they would support giving local governments more control of the of fireworks.
In Hammond, Police Chief Brian Miller described last year's July Fourth holiday as among the worst fiascoes in his 16-year career.
Miller reported fireworks being thrown at cars and houses, resulting in minor injuries, fires and an increased cost of manpower.
Statewide, hospitals reported 202 fireworks-related injuries during the first week of July, a 16 percent increase over the same period in 2004.