I'm not a consumer fireworks user...never have been, and I won't let my kids use them. I've seen what happens to fingers when people aren't careful. For me, fireworks means a city-wide display as a community celebration, not lighting off spinners and a string of CATs in your driveway. But that said, that's my own personal view. As a civic leader, you're responsible for more than yourself.
I'm very, very leery about restricting the liberties of others. And I respect that fireworks are safely used nationwide for commemorating Independence Day and New Year's, and are considered a patriotic obligation by more than a handful of our local residents. So how do we preserve the liberties of a majority while limiting impact on a vulnerable and important minority? It's a question government must answer in all kinds of issues.
My position on how we should proceed
I agree with the staff's recommendation to limit fireworks use to July 2, 3 and 4 and noon to midnight Dec. 31, but I'd make it only to 10 p.m. in July. They propose midnight in July -- I believe that's too late. And I'd also seek to ban the use (within city limits) of Roman candles, missiles and bottle rockets...projectiles which are inherently uncontrollable and a threat / nuisance to surrounding properties. Even without these projectiles, users could still light off plenty of things that go "BOOM". And I'd encourage residents to report every single violation to the police, in order to get a more accurate picture of what's happening out there. If the "limited window" is approved for next year, then in August 2018, I'd seek to revisit this ordinance to determine if a full ban is necessary, based on Summer 2018 data.
The sticky issue is the state's authorization
The real trouble with a ban is that we can't restrict the sale of fireworks beyond the state's existing limits (June 1 - July 8 and December 10 - January 3rd). This means people would be able to obtain fireworks despite the ban. I believe we have more chance of controlling / minimizing the nuisance by at least providing a small window of use. From a practical perspective, a ban will embolden users to fire them off during the whole "sales window", just because they have them.
Give enthusiasts the chance to comply
Fireworks enthusiasts are saying that this past year was just a fluke - that the novelty of it has worn off, and next year "won't be a problem" for fireworks. I'd like to have the opportunity to test that next summer. If users can behave themselves in the coming year, then stick to the limited window. If not, then a full ban.
Take action at the state level
For those who feel strongly against this, the bigger issue you need to take to your state legislators, though, is to reinstitute the statewide consumer fireworks ban, or at least to grant municipal goverments the ability to restrict SALES within city limits, not just USE. Or if they won't make this change, support statewide candidates who will. As long as supply and demand exist, use will follow.