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Council renews Horses Entertainment's animal‑drawn license with tighter encroachment, routing conditions
Summary
After a broad public outpouring of support and council questions about fees and route notifications, Solvang renewed Horses Entertainment LLC’s animal‑drawn conveyance license for five years with conditions requiring annual encroachment permits and clarified routing/notification procedures.
The council approved a five‑year renewal of Horses Entertainment LLC’s animal‑drawn conveyance license on Aug. 10, with added conditions on insurance levels, annual encroachment permits and routing/neighbor notification for alternate routes used during special events. The vote passed 4–0–1 (one recusal by a councilmember with a disclosed interest).
Applicant Salvatore Ronan described nearly two decades of operations and defended safety procedures: "we don't have any accident or any issue or complaint, not with the city, with the county, animal service," and asked the council to preserve the trolley as a community asset. Council members pressed staff on the encroachment fee basis and asked for clearer language tying encroachment area to the fee schedule, plus a notification practice when routing changes are authorized by the community development director. Staff said encroachment terms are negotiated, but suggested adding a condition to identify and notify neighbors whenever routing affects additional properties; council added that qualifier when approving the license.
