After much discussion and requests to reconsider, the Hutchinson City Council Tuesday approved cutting the number of days fireworks can be sold by three days. Currently, fireworks can be sold from June 27th through July 4th. Next year, it’ll be June 30th to July 4th. The discharge dates would then increase by one day, also from June 30th to July 4th.

Greg Ferris, who represents a fireworks distributor in the area asked the council to extend the time for selling fireworks by 2 extra days, saying that weather and other factors require the extended time to sell their merchandise. He also said that vendors have already ordered their fireworks for next year, thnking that they would get eight days to sell them, not five. With two council members absent, the vote was 3-0 in favor of the proposed changes.

The council also gave approval to increase the time school zone speed limits are enforced in the Hutchinson school district. Currently the morning school zone speed limits run from 7:30 to 8:30. But because of the large number of students participating in the school breakfast program, many are coming to school earlier than 7:30. The new morning time for school zones will be 7am until 8:30.