The company contracted to do Rhinelander's Independence Day fireworks display wanted an answer Tuesday, but the common council is still mulling whether to have the show and parade because of COVID-19.
The fireworks display is held at dusk at Hodag Park and draws thousands of viewers. But the safety of large scale gatherings are in question. Other communities have canceled holiday activities, including Tomahawk.
The fireworks company asked the city to have a response by Tuesday whether they would cancel, but consulting administrator Zach Vruwink said he thought the city could wait on the decision with a minimum penalty...
"The decision could be made fairly close to the show, so if you didn't feel you were in a position to make a determination tonight, pending any further information, the contract states otherwise that while the company may want information tomorrow, sometime in June you could make that determination..."
Council members felt the situation is still very fluid and before the next meeting in two weeks it could change again. The council tabled any decision until upcoming meetings.
The council also approved allowing establishments collecting room tax money to not be penalized if they're late getting the collected money to the city due to the COVID-19 emergency.
