Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees
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GODFREY – Plans for a new business offering liquor, tobacco, and video gaming in Godfrey are on hold as trustees await more detailed information, including its exact distance from a nearby school.
Village Board members considered a business plan, liquor license, and gaming license for Sita Raman Inc. at their May 19, 2026, meeting. Still, they ultimately voted to table the items until their next meeting.
Trustee Mike Fisher said the Village Board received no copy of the business’s liquor license application, business license, or land survey to confirm whether the property was outside or within 100 feet of a school.
According to Sita Raman’s business plan, the establishment plans to offer a wide variety of alcohol and tobacco products. Their current location at 6007 Godfrey Road is directly across the street from the Early Childhood Center for Alton Community Unit School District #11.
With only a business plan for Sita Raman Inc., Fisher and Trustee Rick Lauschke said they would need more information – particularly a distance survey – before approving a liquor license.
“You keep measuring between the parcel lines, but those aren’t the actual property lines – those are all approximates. If you look at the distance from grass to grass, you’re at 85 feet, but when you look at the parcel lines, you’re at 105 feet,” Lauschke said. “Let’s find out what the real answer is, and then if it’s over 100 [feet], we can go into the rest of the application.”
Under the Illinois Video Gaming Act, all establishments licensed to operate video gaming terminals in the state must first obtain a valid liquor license. When asked if he intends to pursue video gaming at the business, Owner Chintant Patel confirmed he does, but framed it as a common business practice to generate extra income.
“To sustain a business nowadays, you need multiple sources of income to stay in business,” Patel said.
Mayor Mike McCormick said Patel first applied before the village passed its new liquor and gaming ordinance and imposed a temporary moratorium on liquor license applications. He questioned why the business plan itself wasn’t enough for trustees to move forward.
“Up until this new regime of controlling gaming in our community, all a person needed to do to get a liquor license was bring in a business plan,” McCormick said. “Now you’re asking them for a lot more.”
Fisher said he wants to see all relevant documentation to ensure the business is abiding by local liquor license ordinance requirements. McCormick said trustees wouldn’t be considering a liquor license for the business if it didn’t meet those requirements. Lauschke said he would still like to see a professional land survey confirming the business is 100 feet away from the school.
When the items came up for a vote, trustees voted 5-1 to table the consideration of Sita Raman’s business plan, liquor license, and gaming license for their next meeting on June 2, 2026. Trustee Gerard Fischer cast the sole vote against tabling the items.
A full recording of the May 19, 2026, Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
