Mentone Town Council met Monday night and voted against the newly amended county burn ban by continuing a ban on personal fireworks usage in the town limits.

Mentone Town Council President Tim Croy notified StaceyPageOnline.com after the meeting saying the board is ” … upholding our decision to ban all open burning and fireworks, due to the extremely dry conditions in the county.”

On Friday, the Kosciusko County Commissioners extended burn ban was announced but, seemingly heeding to pressure from fireworks proponents who argue state law overrides a disaster declaration, removed the “personal fireworks” ban from the declaration. County officials are still asking people to voluntarily ban all use of personal fireworks.

Emergency Management Director Ed Rock says that while the disaster declaration enacted county-wide is in place, he hopes people will exercise common sense in these arid conditions. Croy and the rest of the Mentone Town Council exercised their own rights by saying now through July 5, no one will be able to shoot off personal fireworks within the town limits.

Rock added today that he is unsure how Mentone can ban fireworks while the county is allowing them.

The complete disaster declaration signed by the commissioners for a county-wide can be seen here: Burn Ban Signed 6-29-12. The county-wide burn ban is effective until noon Tuesday, July 3, unless it is extended again during the commissioners Tuesday morning meeting.

StaceyPageOnline.com will provide an update following the 9 a.m. meeting tomorrow.