The fireworks industry is one step closer to igniting in East Ridge after City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to form its own Municipal Planning Commission.
The commission now takes on the tasks the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission previously performed for the city: Analyzing and voting on recommendations from a city planning agency, usually involving zoning and building codes.
First on the East Ridge commission’s list: an ordinance to regulate the sale of fireworks in East Ridge.
City Manager Tim Gobble said at least three companies are interested in opening retail space in East Ridge and have been monitoring the regulation process closely.
Council members pushed to form their own commission after the Regional Planning Commission decided Aug. 8 to defer action on the fireworks ordinance, a move Mayor Brent Lambert called “obstructionist.”