After the latest talks on fireworks use in Alna Monday night, it remained unclear what voters next month may face for a question. Two residents urged the Planning Board to explore a permit process and the prospects for county enforcement of local rules.

Board members questioned whether people would comply with permits and how they could be enforced; but they agreed to speak again with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office about a possible deal, or memo of understanding, that might lay the groundwork for enforcement.

Barring the unforeseen, members said they still support where their months of research have led them, to propose the town go with the state’s minimal rules on consumer fireworks use.

“That’s unacceptable to me,” resident Pixie Lauer said earlier in Monday’s meeting.

Lauer recounted a series of fireworks blasts near her home Christmas night. “It knocked me right off my sofa,” she told the board.

It also made her horse uncatchable and gave her dog diarrhea, Lauer said.

Fireworks are an unexpected noise, and those startle horses, resident and longtime farrier Fred Bowers said.

Lauer offered to help gather information or help in any other way toward getting local rules. If permits were required and people had to warn neighbors about planned fireworks use, people would know to get their animals inside, she said.

Board members were not aware of notification being part of other towns’ rules but they said that alone would not rule it out for Alna.

Permitting would create more paperwork for town officials, member Peter Tischbein said. Plus, he and other board members reiterated that enforcement was a sticking point.

“We can write an elaborate thing, that is a great constitution, that means nothing,” Tischbein said.

Bowers said that the town’s apparent inability to enforce its ordinances was a bigger concern to him than fireworks. He asked how hard it would be to get the memo of understanding from the sheriff’s office.

“It would mean making extra arrangements,” Tischbein said.

“So we do it,” Bowers responded.

“I’m happy to help,” Lauer added. “There are many of us in town who’d be happy to help.”

Board members said they would try to find out what would be involved. Then they plan to send a member to meet with selectmen Feb. 10 to update them and see what else, if anything, selectmen want them to do prior to town meeting in March.

Town meeting voters in 2015 called on selectmen to have either a committee or the planning board draft fireworks rules to propose at the 2016 town meeting.

“It was not to come up with a reason not to have an ordinance,” Bowers said about last year’s vote.