Lincoln County would probably not charge Alna extra to enforce fireworks rules, Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett told planning board members and selectmen April 6.

“You guys pay your fair share of taxes so there’s really no reason” to charge for that or enforcement of other local ordinances, Brackett said. The county enforces Bristol’s parking ordinance at no added cost to the town, he said. Brackett passed out copies of the Bristol contract. One with Alna would likely look similar, he said.

The Bristol deal states in part that deputies will enforce the ordinance as part of their patrols; the county will not charge the town unless the services are a significant change from normal patrol duties, it states.

Alna has no fireworks rules. Town meeting voters in 2015 asked for rules to vote on this year. The planning board researched rules from other towns and the state, and began drafting a possible ordinance. But members learned the town currently has no way to enforce the rules, so selectmen gave the panel more time and took no proposal to the annual town meeting in March.

Meeting with members of both panels April 6, Brackett said he would like to have input on the ordinance. “Don’t make an ordinance that’s impossible for me to enforce,” he said.

Planning board member Beth Whitney wondered how deputies would know if a violation had occurred. “It’s kind of there and gone,” she said about fireworks. “What do you do?”

Deputies don’t have to see the fireworks go off, but they do need information, Brackett said. Sometimes people are not willing to cooperate. “And we respect that,” he said.

If a violation has occurred, Brackett recommended starting with a fine that could be paid in town. It will go quicker than a court case would, he said. “It’s easier I think on everybody.”

One part of a draft that planning board members showed Brackett would bar consumer fireworks’ use within 250 feet of a pasture with livestock present, or a church, daycare or school. “That’s not a lot for a pasture,” Brackett said.

“We could increase that,” Whitney said.

The draft was worked on months ago and may not be what the planning board ends up proposing, members said. The board has only heard from about four residents on the issue, they said. Concerns have centered largely on animals’ reaction to fireworks, they added.

With a contract in place, the county would determine whether to enforce state or local rules in any incident, Brackett said. An ordinance gives the officer another tool in the toolbox, he said.

“No ordinance is going to eliminate the issue,” Brackett added. “It’s going to come up, but (an ordinance) could hopefully act as a deterrent.”

A contract for ordinance enforcement would be Alna’s second arrangement with the county. The town last year joined several others in contracting with the county for animal control. The county bills towns for those services, which spare the towns from having to find and train their own animal control officers.

With the enforcement question resolved, talks on fireworks rules will likely resume at the planning board’s next meeting, 6:30 p.m May 2 at the town office, Whitney said. The board probably has a lot more work to do before sending a proposal on to selectmen, she added.

First Selectman David Abbott said selectmen might wait until the March 2017 town meeting to propose fireworks rules. The annual one draws a better turnout than special town meetings do, so it would better represent the town, he said April 7.