The process of issuing raffle tickets permits in Charleston requires more work than in other areas of central Illinois.

Statute 230 ILCS 15/0.01, or the Illinois Raffles Act, deals with the creation of procedures for the issuance of raffle tickets in Illinois.

Establishment of a system for the licensing and issuance of raffle permits is the responsibility of the municipality in which the raffle will be held. However, any organization wishing to receive a raffle permit must give a fidelity bond in order to receive their permit.

“The state requires you put up a bond so that someone doesn’t run off with the money,” said Mayor John Inyart.

However municipalities have the ability to waive the fidelity bond requirement.

Though the state only requires that a waiver be signed by executive members of the applicant organization and that members of the organization give consent in order to waive the bond requirement, Charleston’s policy is much more tedious.

In Charleston, the city council must unanimously vote to approve the waiving of the bond requirement.

“[The council] can buy just about anything we want with a 3/5 majority vote and we can conduct business with a member missing,” Inyart said, “but we need unanimous consent for this.”

The municipality that governs the distribution of raffle permits depends on the area. In some counties, such as Coles County, the process is handled on a city-level basis, whereas in other areas, such as Effingham County, the county handles the process.

Even within the boundaries of Coles County, there are various procedures for waiving the fidelity bond requirement.

In Mattoon, for example, the requirement can be waived if the organization can provide a letter signed by the officers of the organization stating that the members of their organization were all in consent, said Marsha True, administrative assistant in the Mattoon city clerk’s office.

Champaign County uses a mixture of the city-regulated and county-regulated systems. Champaign and Urbana handle raffle permit applications on a city basis, while the county clerk regulates the rest of the county.

The city of Champaign will waive the requirement with a signed waiver, said Linda Randall, license officer for the city.

Nora Stewart, account clerk for Champaign County, said fidelity bonds are not usually an issue in the county.

“It’s not that we don’t require them,” said Stewart. “It’s just that most not-for-profit organizations are already bonded.”

Effingham County will also waive the bond requirement with a signed waiver form as long as the organization has been existence for five years, said Marsha Popp, administrative assistant for the Effingham County county clerk’s office.

Sangamon and Clark counties also use the same system as Effingham County.

The Charleston City Council will be voting tonight to waive the fidelity bond requirements for five organizations seeking raffle permits. Two of these were prepared to be voted on last week, but could not be because of the absence of one council member, said Inyart.

In other business, the Council will:

Authorize the expenditure of $3,000 of tourism funds related to the Embarras Valley Film Festival and the Festival of Frights.

Approve street closings for the Boy Scouts of America soap box derby and a Habitat for Humanity-sponsored foot race on July 4.

Award bids for equipment rental, water draining and retention systems at Carnegie Public Library and electrical work at the water treatment plant.

Honor two City of Charleston retirees, Dan Ensign of the Fire Department and Georgia Beltz of the Police Department.

The Council meets tonight at 7:30 in the City Council Chamber Room in City

Hall.