ATLANTA – Georgians have been able to buy their once-forbidden fireworks in the state since last July. Now, they’ll have a say in how taxes on the explosives are spent.

Voters are being asked whether a tax on fireworks sales should be dedicated to trauma care, firefighter equipment and training, and local 911 systems.

The state gleans nearly $1 million from the sale of bottle rockets, sparklers and a range of elaborate pyrotechnics that light up the night sky. That money now goes into the general fund and is spent on a variety of government services.

The ballot question that would change that may be the least explosive of four proposed constitutional amendments. Even so, there’s some concern that voters may not like what they see in the booth.

Dena Abston, who heads the Georgia Trauma Care Network Commission, which stands to receive a little more than half the tax revenue, worries that voters will think they’re being asked to approve a new tax.

“The tax has already passed. It’s just where these funds are being allocated” that is being decided, she said.

When lawmakers made fireworks legal last year, they stuck a 5 percent excise tax on purchases, in addition to sales taxes.

That excise tax brought in nearly $928,000 during the first year, according to the state’s Department of Revenue. Another $887,000 has already been collected since July for this year.

If the ballot question is approved, money from the tax would be split three ways — 55 percent to the trauma care commission, 40 percent to the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, and the remainder to local governments for their 911 systems.

William Weimer, vice president of Ohio-based Phantom Fireworks, which has opened stores in Georgia, said the company isn’t opposed to the amendment, which he noted seeks to beef up the state’s trauma care network.

“That’s certainly admirable, and you can’t complain about that,” he said.

Even so, Weimer said he’s disappointed that money is not being set aside to help fire departments enforce the fireworks laws, especially when it comes to the businesses that sell them.

Money for firefighters instead would help pay for equipment and training needed for departments to improve their Insurance Services Office ratings, which affect consumers’ insurance rates.

“We like our industry to be policed,” Weimer said. “We follow the rules, and we’d like everybody to follow the rules.

“There are some issues in terms of who is selling what where, what’s appropriate, what’s legal, what’s not?” he said.

In Dalton, Deputy Fire Chief Todd Pangle said the biggest challenge has been handling the often last-minute requests for inspections at pop-up businesses looking to capitalize on the appetite for fireworks during the holidays.

“It definitely packs the schedule come that time of year,” he said.

Pangle said he just hopes the money finds its way down to smaller, more rural departments. Attempts to reach someone with the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, which would distribute the money through a grant program, were unsuccessful.

In Thomasville, Archbold Medical Center would see a boost if the amendment passes. It’s one of the state’s more than two dozen designated trauma centers, which focus on being ready around the clock to treat those suffering from major injuries.

The facilities are designated by level. Higher-level centers have more advanced equipment and specialty physicians. Archbold, a level two center, is the highest level facility in south Georgia.

Achieving higher levels is costly. Statewide, the centers’ combined costs to operate reach $66 million every year, Abston said. The state commission only chips in about $4.6 million toward those expenses.

The amendment’s passage would mean more guaranteed money for trauma care centers, said Rick Ivey, vice president of public affairs at Archbold.

“The only way to absolutely assure this specific allocation on a permanent basis is through an amendment to the Constitution, approved by Georgia citizens,” Ivey said.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites. Reach her at jnolin@cnhi.com.