With a few exceptions, organizers of special events in Solvang will have to pay additional fees in the future, the City Council decided this week.

Six annual occasions that the council labeled “communitywide” — Danish Days, Earth Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Winterfest celebrations, and the Tour of California bicycle race — will not be charged the city’s new “cost recovery” fees of $50 an hour to reimburse time spent by city staff members before or during the event.

However, even those organizers will still be charged the city’s $125 application fee and their events’ costs for law enforcement services.

Public Works Director Tully Clifford recommended the exceptions for the few events that the council considered “communitywide,” but he emphasized that demands on city staff’s time become excessive when organizers don’t provide enough volunteers for traffic control, for example.

Public speaker Willi Campbell thanked the council Monday night for differentiating between communitywide events and special events and for keeping the “natural born rights as an American with all the trappings for holiday festivities alive in Solvang,”

Mary Harris, event coordinator for the Solvang Visitors Bureau, asked that references to the Winterfest Parade be changed to just Winterfest to include all the activities associated with the winter holiday.

Sheila Benedict, administrator for Old Mission Santa Ines, wondered how much the costs for the Rancheros Visitadores western riding group would increase, since their annual event wasn’t included in the list of exceptions.

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She noted that the Visitadores have been holding festivities for 78 years but might not want to come back if their costs increase too much.

Clifford said that city staff members would work with the Visitadores to ensure their return every year, and help them find ways to reduce their costs.

Councilman Jim Richardson proposed that the council amend a few names of the special events as proposed to avoid any confusion if the sponsoring group disassociates itself from the event in the future.

The council then amended the references to the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race to delete any mention of Amgen and the Rotary Club Independence Day Parade to eliminate the club’s name, as well as shortening the reference to the Winterfest Parade to simply Winterfest.

Raiza Canelon can be reached at 739-2216 or rcanelon@lompocrecord.com

July 31, 2008