MONMOUTH — Fireworks in town are attracting plenty of attention and dozens of residents hope selectmen will take notice.

“Everyone wants to talk about them, whether it’s on the agenda or not,” said Town Manager Curtis Lunt.

Selectmen last week accepted a petition signed by 56 residents asking the board to examine the town’s fireworks ordinance. While Monmouth does not have a specific ordinance governing fireworks use, the state at the beginning of the year lifted a decades-old ban on selling and using fireworks.

Since then, according to Monmouth Police Chief Kevin Mulherin, police have responded to more than two dozen complaints, nine of which were registered between July 1 and July 9.

Mulherin, who said the rate of complaints has slowed in the past couple of weeks, said there have been a handful of complaints of firework debris landing on neighbors’ property and a few, especially at the beginning of the year, involving fireworks being shot after the state’s 10 p.m. curfew.

“Most of them are noise complaints,” Mulherin said. “If it’s within the time frame there’s not a lot we can do.”

The petition seeks no specific action, so selectmen ended a lengthy discussion during Wednesday’s meeting without reaching any firm decisions. Lunt said board members agreed to hold a public forum on the issue at a yet-to-be-determined date in September.

Several town in Maine have opted to ban fireworks all together, while others, such as neighboring Winthrop, have developed ordinances aimed at banning sales or controlling when and were fireworks may be set off.

Monmouth Fire Chief Dan Roy Jr. suggested Wednesday that the town could consider a similar approach, such as limiting use to weekends or creating setbacks from roads or buildings.

“Some limitations like that might be reasonable,” Lunt said.

He said selectmen may present a draft ordinance at the meeting. Any final ordinance would require voter approval.

“Everyone seems to have an opinion,” Lunt said. “They’re not necessarily in agreement with each other.”

In other developments, selectmen agreed to hold a public hearing about posting a speed limit on Tillson Road. Lunt said there is no speed limit on the road, which runs between Cobbosseeconte Road and Route 135, but speeds have increased since the road was paved recently.

A public hearing on the proposed speed limit is scheduled to take place during the regular selectmen’s meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 8

“The Department of Transportation sets speed limits,” Lunt said. “They asked for a public hearing before setting the limit.”

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