Recommend approval of revisions to Part 6, Licensing and Regulation, Chapter 1, Business and Occupations, Article S of the Horse-Drawn Carriage Ordinance of 1977. The revisions are intended to regulate the horse-drawn carriage industry, protect the health, safety, and welfare of the animals used in the tourism industry, as well as citizens, motorists and pedestrians using the public rights of way. Changes were also made to provide consistency with the Tour Service For Hire Ordinance revisions approved in October 2015 eliminating the tour guide testing and permitting requirements.

Over the past two years, the Tourism Management and Ambassadorship Department brought together representatives from the carriage industry, local veterinarians who treat large animals, animal advocates and the Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) to modify the Ordinance. Specific revisions include:

• Changes to definitions, including re-definition of “tour guide," to reflect elimination of the testing and permitting requirements and identification of specific restricted areas (Sec. 6-1561).
• Revisions to require tour companies to obtain a business tax certificate (Section 6-1562).
• Removal of sections inconsistent with elimination of the testing, qualifications and permitting requirements (Section 6-1564).
• Revisions to require registration of tour guides, and requiring tour guides to display identification 6-1564.
• Revisions to reflect a shift in internal regulatory oversight from the taxicab inspector to the tourism director (Sections 6-1561, 6-1563, 6-1564, 6-1565, 6-1566, 6-1567, 6-1568, 6-1569, 6-1571, 6-1574, 6-1585, 6-1586, 6-1590, 6-1591, 6-1592, 6-1593, 6-1596, 6-1597, 6-1598 and 6-1600).
• Revisions to strengthen the vehicle inspection and commercial decal process (Section 6-1565).
• Revisions to include additional safety equipment on the carriage (Section 6-1569).
• Revisions to prevent the horse and carriage from being left unattended in horse-drawn carriage stands (Section 6-1575).
• Addition of a structured training program for the tour guide driving the carriage and horse (Section 6-1586).
• Addition of a certificate of serviceability to verify the animal’s health is in good standing with a licensed veterinarian (Section 6-1590).
• Revisions to include additional standards for the care of horses (Section 6-1593).
• Addition of equine heat standards to provide enhanced care procedures for the animals (Section 6-1596).
• Revisions to the heat standards to require monitoring the temperature and respiratory rate of the animal when the temperature reaches 85 degrees instead of 90 degrees Fahrenheit (Section 6-1596).
• Changes to prohibit horse-drawn carriage tours when the temperature exceeds 95 degrees rather than 98 degrees Fahrenheit (Section 6-1596).
• Revisions to address incidents and accidents (Section 6-1597).
• Revisions to include penalties for five or more citations within a 30-day period (Section 6-1600).

Following the comments from the City Council Workshop in the summer of 2016 about equine spills, staff met with the equine sanitation service provider company. At that time, the company worked with the City to research and test alternative formulas to treat the spills that would not jeopardize the storm water system. This resulted in the company employing a new product that, when used properly, dissipates odors.

Approval