Manteca non-profits applying for one of 18 coveted fireworks booth permits awarded via a lottery will need to pony up a $35 application fee this year.

The application process is now underway through Dec. 3. A lottery drawing will be conducted on Jan. 6.

The City Council in June directed an application fee be charged for the first time ever.

They also upped the permit charged to those that secure a booth from $150 to $250 to try and recover costs incurred by the fire department inspecting booths.

The council on March 3 expressed their displeasure that Phantom as well as TNT Fireworks were profiting from gross sales of roughly $1 million during week-long sales connected with the Fourth of July while the city was incurring in excess of $85,000 in fire department overtime while responding to fireworks related fire and incidents.

There was interest expressed by council members at that meeting to follow Lodi’s lead and assess a charge on projected sales to go toward the cost recovery of task force teams that city deploys to combat illegal fireworks.

The rationale is by a city allowing legal fireworks they inadvertently provide cover for more egregious use of illegal fireworks.

The Lodi fee is 7 percent of all sales.

If that rate was applied to Manteca based on $1 million in overall gross sales, it would generate $70,000.

But instead of assessing it on the non-profit operators, council members wanted to find a way to shift it to the two fireworks vendors which is apparently not legal to do in California according to the city attorney.

Last year, Manteca’s task force effort as well as the need for an extra engine company for 72 hours due to a surge in fires caused by fireworks, cost the city $85,385 in overtime staffing.

Under current practices, each dollar the non-profits take in is split 50-50 with fireworks vendors.

The vendors provide the product and deliver it, and nothing else.

Non-profits not only man the booths but also cover renting the booth, ground rental, insurance and permitting fees the city charges to recover the cost of inspecting booths and issuing permits.

Those costs reduce the net for non-profits down to 30 to 40 percent of overall sales.

The current ordinance caps the number of non-profit booths at one per 5,000 residents.

To obtain an application for a chance to secure a fireworks booth, email fire@manteca.gov.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com