EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — After a one-week postponement, the El Paso County Commissioners Court will hear a report, discuss and possibly take action on Monday, June 9 to place limitations on the sale and use of some types of fireworks this July Fourth season.
The Commissioners Court is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Monday on the third floor of Enrique Moreno County Courthouse, 500 E. San Antonio.
According to the agenda backup material, County commissioners have three options on fireworks.
The first, they can do nothing. The legal fireworks sale period is June 24 through midnight on July Fourth.
The Commissioners Court can also adopt an order restricting “skyrockets with sticks and missiles with fins” if the area meets a minimum average score of 575 on the Keetch-Bryram Dought Index (KBDI).
El Paso County had a drought index score of 703 as of May 29.
According to the National Fire Danger Rating System, El Paso is in the “high” fire danger category, the County said.
According to the agenda, most of El Paso County is listed as being in “exceptional drought” and the remaining part of the County is in “extreme drought,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The third option is for the county judge to issue a more restrictive declaration of local disaster if there is an “imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life” from any natural or man-made cause including fire.
Under this scenario, the declaration can last seven days unless the Commissioners Court extends it.
County staff, meanwhile, is recommending the second option of banning the sale and use of some types of fireworks consisting of rockets with sticks and missiles with fins. This order would not prohibit “permissible fireworks,” according to the agenda.
Under this scenario, the order would expire if the Texas Forest Service determines drought conditions no longer exist in the County or on July 5, whichever is earlier.
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