Updated results from King County Elections last week showed that 60 percent of SeaTac voters wanted the discharging of personal fireworks to remain illegal in the city.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a new fireworks ordinance that was placed on the Feb. 6 ballot as a result of a petition drive.

As of Feb. 16, county election officials reported 976 votes (39.23 percent) in favor of the proposed ordinance and 1,512 votes against (60.77 percent).

Final results will be certified on Feb. 21.

The proposal would have allowed the discharging of fireworks from June 28 through July 5 and Dec. 27 through Dec. 31.

Officials estimated the single-issue election cost the city about $30,000.

"That's the cost of democracy," Mayor Gene Fisher declared.

Fisher said a number of people had come to the council earlier asking for a fireworks ban.

In passing the ban, Fisher added, lawmakers thought they were enacting the will of a majority of SeaTac residents.

The election results bore out the council members' assessment, he said.

The mayor noted that while 1,600 registered SeaTac voters signed the petition calling for a loosening of the total ban, only about 900 cast ballots for the proposed ordinance.

Deputy Mayor Ralph Shape said at the Feb. 13 city council meeting that in 2006-the first year of the ban- firefighters and police officers concentrated on educating the public about the new regulation.

This year, law enforcement personnel will focus on enforcing the ban, according to Shape.