SCHENECTADY – City Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo recalled standing outside her Bellevue home last Fourth of July as nearly two dozen people down the street lit up the block with large, powerful fireworks that are illegal.

"They were having a full blown professional fireworks show," said Perazzo on Monday hours before she and other City Council members discussed the issue.

By time the police arrived, the illegal light show was over and everyone had dispersed, she added.

In an effort to quiet the concerns of residents who are rattled by the barrage of late-night explosions, Schenectady County legislators last year repealed the legal use of small fireworks.

In a reversal of a 2015 decision, legislators in 2017 banned the sale and use of small fireworks like sparklers. The decision made Schenectady County the first in the Capital Region to opt out of the state law that allowed sparklers, party poppers and other small exploding devices.

But fireworks still are a concern in the Electric City and officials are looking into ways to beef up enforcement.

City Councilman John Polimeni said Monday that Police Chief Eric Clifford told him the department will step up patrols on Independence Day and talk to state officials about keeping outlawed fireworks out of the Empire State.

"One of the issues is illegal fireworks being trafficked in the state," said Polimeni. "If the state can do their part, that can help us with our limited resources."

The issue was tabled Monday and Clifford will discuss fireworks with city leaders in two weeks.

Perazzo asked if city firefighters might be able to assist police in patrolling the streets on the Fourth of July. That was done on a trial basis at least a decade ago. Fire Chief Raymond Senecal said Monday the deterrent effort proved futile because fire officials driving around on patrols in their sports utility vehicle didn't have any law enforcement authority.

Senecal said fire crews — already busy on the Fourth of July — patrol and try to educate people by telling them about the dangers of fireworks. That has proven to be effective, he said.

In 2015, state law allowed counties to opt into a measure to legalize the small pyrotechnics. Many counties in the area opted in, including Schenectady, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Montgomery and Washington counties.

In Schenectady County, people thought all fireworks, including those that are launched and flare overhead, were legal. This led to a spike of 911 calls, which law enforcement had difficulty handling.