Effort to ban fireworks in ‘tinderbox’ Pierce County fails when GOP council members say no By Josephine Peterson, The News Tribune
Published: June 30, 2021, 6:07pm
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TACOMA Despite dangerous fire conditions, the Pierce County Council failed to pass an emergency ban on fireworks Tuesday after council Republicans argued it was too short notice, broke state law and was “virtually unenforceable.”
The legislation would have authorized the fire marshal to ban fireworks from June 29 until further notice for unincorporated Pierce County due to extreme fire conditions.
Pierce County fire marshal Warner Webb told council in a Tuesday study session that a fireworks ban would be necessary because of dry conditions, low humidity levels and no rain forecast over the next several days.
Josephine Peterson: Pierce council to consider tax increase to fund behavioral health services, revamp Medicaid
News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash. 12/22/2020 Josephine Peterson, The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Dec. 22 A Pierce County Council vote Tuesday to increase taxes could bring funding to behavioral health services and change the entire local Medicaid system.
Vice Chair Dave Morell (R-Lake Tapps) has co-sponsored a bill with Democratic council members Connie Ladenburg of Tacoma and Derek Young of Gig Harbor to increase sales tax by one-tenth of 1 percent to provide behavioral health services.
Because the ordinance is a tax hike, it requires a supermajority to pass, or five of the seven votes.