Aurora moves fireworks to July 2

For the second consecutive year, Aurora's Independence Day fireworks celebration will be moved to the Friday before the holiday.

In a memo to aldermen Friday, Mayor Tom Weisner said the decision was made because not enough police officers accepted an offer of overtime pay to staff the festivities.

"Recently overtime was offered to police officers for Sunday, July Fourth duty," Weisner wrote. "The response to this offering was inadequate to properly staff a fireworks program on Sunday, the 4th of July."

Assistant Chief of Staff Chuck Nelson said the move also constitutes "a cost-savings and convenience."

During a weeknight, Community Oriented Policing volunteers and on-duty officers easily can be reassigned to the fireworks to eliminate the need for overtime pay.

"Historically it's been difficult to get police officers to work on the Fourth of July," Nelson said. "And that's OK because we heard positive things from our constituents last year that the move stretched out their holiday weekends and gave them more time to get things done."

Nelson said the city will partner with North Aurora for the second consecutive year to fund the fireworks display and family oriented activities at Aurora Central Catholic High School and the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.