WEST PARIS — Selectmen will continue to keep tabs on residents’ complaints about the misuse of fireworks in the lead-up to November’s election.

The town has been mulling its options on fireworks, which are proving a nuisance to many residents, some of whom have recounted tales of almost being struck or having their property hit by neighbors.

Selectmen said they will monitor the number of complaints to see if an ordinance restricting their use should be placed on the ballot in November. 

Two weeks ago, residents told town officials they needed to consider the various options available for restricting their usage.

In response, Town Manager John White told selectmen Thursday that he received a memo from the state Fire Marshals Office outlining what an ordinance controlling their use would look like.

According to the memo, the town could follow the lead of other municipalities across the state and pass an ordinance with varying restrictions on their sale and use. 

White said fire Chief Norm St. Pierre recommended an ordinance prohibiting their use without a permit.

A suggestion for the creation of a town constable at a prior meeting was met with reluctance because it would come with the same liabilities and costs as a police officer.

The town contracts law enforcement services with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, which upholds state laws but not local ordinances. 

Helen Cooper, who had told of an ordeal with neighbors two weeks ago, returned Thursday, telling selectmen things have quieted down. 

Cooper said fireworks are a safety issue in the dense residential neighborhood where she lives.

“They know we’re serious. We share each others’ backyards,”  she said.

Maine legalized fireworks in 2012, a move which was widely met by the passage of local laws barring or restricting their use. Like neighbors in Oxford, Paris and Norway, the town does not control their use beyond state-level restrictions. 

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