In all likelihood, in communities throughout Maine, the ringing in of New Year’s 2012 will be accompanied by the whistles and booms of fireworks.

Unfortunately, that is likely to happen whether communities embrace the state law that makes many fireworks legal beginning Jan. 1, or whether they follow Portland’s lead and ban them altogether. And because Maine fireworks stores will not be able to open until Jan. 1, those first fireworks fired off legally will likely have been bought in New Hampshire and brought across the border, contraband until the clock strikes midnight.

That is just the first of many absurdities surrounding the new law, passed earlier this year by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Paul LePage following a number of unsuccessful efforts to legalize fireworks through the years. Supporters say fireworks sales will bring in much-needed tax revenue, and that the ban in place until now was an unnecessary infringement on people’s rights.

Fireworks are not particularly dangerous – deaths from fireworks-related accidents are scarce and injuries few and usually minor. However, they are already a threat to the peace and quiet of neighborhoods, and making them more readily available is only going to make it worse.

Discussions held in anticipation of the new standard have taken up a lot of time in local council chambers the last few weeks, with officials debating any number of solutions.

Portland on Monday became the first community to enact a ban. South Portland councilors gave unanimous initial approval to a ban, and are working off the template provided by Portland. Old Orchard Beach is also considering an outright ban. In Scarborough, officials were for the most part against a ban, favoring instead a wait-and-see approach, but the topic is likely to come up at a future meeting. Westbrook and Gorham are both studying the issue.

Taken on a case-by-case basis, it would seem to make sense for the more densely developed and populated communities, where the use of fireworks is more likely to harm or bother a neighbor, to enact a ban, while rural areas could be more open to residents using fireworks on their private property.

But bans are unlikely to have much of an effect when fireworks could be sold a town or two away. In fact, many southern Maine public safety officials were already having a tough time keeping fireworks out of their communities – even with a statewide ban in place and the closest fireworks shop across the border in New Hampshire.

“There are so many calls already,” said South Portland Police Chief Edward Googins, “and oftentimes we get there a day late and a dollar short, after all the fireworks have already gone off.”

So communities that choose to enact a local ban – a clause added to the bill to make it more palatable to lawmakers – will only end up chasing more police calls, with little impact on keeping neighbors safer and free from unnecessary nuisance.

In the end, it is just another case of the state’s actions causing municipalities more problems than they are worth.

Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.