AUGUSTA — City councilors voted 5-2 to ban the use and sale of fireworks in the city.

A new state law will allow consumer fireworks in Maine for the first time in decades starting Jan 1. Municipalities may regulate and ban fireworks within their borders.

The council agreed that it will be OK to possess fireworks, removing language from the ordinance that would have banned possession with intent to use.

Resident Corey Wilson addressed councilors for the third time, speaking against the ban on use and sale. He said the risks posed by fireworks are not that dire, and said people will use them even if they are banned. But, he said, his concern isn’t specifically about people being able to use fireworks in Augusta. Rather, he said, it’s about freedom.

“It may just be fireworks, but we’re picking away at our freedoms one at a time,” said Wilson, who served two tours of duty as a Marine in Iraq. “We’re jumping the gun here, jumping on the bandwagon of other cities banning them when we don’t even know if there is going to be an issue. We’re the capital city. We should lead.”

Councilor Mark O’Brien said Augusta does not want to lead in areas such as largest number of injuries, property damage, or noise complaints because of fireworks.

“It’s too simple to say it’s just about liberty,” O’Brien said. “It’s never just about one thing. We’ve got other things to consider. We’ve got danger, and the devotion of (public safety) resources to addressing fireworks use. People in Augusta have been worried about noise, fireworks would contribute to that as well. The prudent course for this community to take is enact the ban and let experience guide us in the future.”

Other cities in Maine, including Portland, Lewiston and Bangor have also banned fireworks. Other municipalities, such as Farmingdale and Brewer, are working to regulate, but not ban, them.

Augusta’s City Charter states ordinances take effect 30 days after final passage, thus the ban approved Thursday will be in place before the state ban on fireworks is lifted Jan. 1.

Possession of fireworks will be allowed. Councilors altered the ordinance to remove language that would have banned the possession of fireworks with intent to use.

Mayor William Stokes said intent to use would be difficult to prove, and some people might have fireworks in their possession while in Augusta which they intend to use, legally, elsewhere, where their use is allowed.

The ban was recommended by Fire Chief Roger Audette, who expressed concern allowing fireworks will lead to people being injured using them. He also said responding to fireworks-related calls will take already over-burdened public safety workers’ time, potentially making their response to other emergency calls slower.

Councilor Michael Byron said Audette made a strong case for banning fireworks because of their danger. He said the state law change lifting the longtime ban didn’t give municipalities time to work on ordinances any more detailed than a ban. He pledged to take another look at the issue and whether to keep the ban in a year, at which point, he said, the city would be able to look at data and the experiences of other Maine municipalities which don’t ban fireworks.

Councilor Daniel Emery, who took the oath of office earlier in the meeting, and Councilor David Rollins voted against the ban. Both said the majority of people they had talked to about the issue were against banning fireworks.

Keith Edwards — 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com