(a) The Board of Supervisors of Public Solicitation shall designate one of their members to be secretary of the Board, who shall be a member of the Board and the Board shall have authority to fix his salary if any funds are available for this purpose. The secretary shall investigate all applications of persons desiring to solicit funds for charitable, religious, educational and/or benevolent purposes, determine that the purpose of such solicitation is a bona fide charitable, religious, educational and/or benevolent purpose, and that the applicant for permit will solicit in good faith and in the manner authorized for such bona fide charitable, religious, educational and/or benevolent purpose and that the proper proportion of the money subscribed and or contributed will be used for the purpose for which the subscription and/or contribution is made. The Secretary shall, if he is satisfied that these conditions are met, issue to such applicant or applicants a card giving the name of the person so authorized to solicit; the purpose for which the funds are being solicited; the time within which solicitations of money, contributions and or subscriptions are permitted; the manner in which such solicitation is authorized; and whether the person soliciting funds is being paid for his or her services as such solicitor. It shall not be necessary for each solicitor to apply to the Board where more than one person is soliciting for the same purpose, but a general application for such person may be made by any one of them and cards for all such solicitors may be issued upon one application therefor.
(b) If the secretary after investigation of any application for a permit to solicit funds as herein provided decides that such permit should not be issued, the secretary shall decline to issue such permit, and the person whose application has been declined by the secretary shall have the right of appeal to the Board, and the Board shall hear and determine the application and appeal at an open meeting after notice thereof to the applicant and appellant, and the decision of a majority of the members of the Board, after such hearing, shall be binding on all of the parties thereto.
(c) An appeal from the decision of the Board may be taken before Council, who shall, in such instance, have the power to sustain or reverse the decision of the Board. No appeal to Council shall be recognized as such until after notice of such appeal has been published in at least one newspaper in the City for two consecutive weeks and at the time of such hearing the secretary or some other member of the Board shall be present to furnish Council with full information in support of its decision.
(1978 Code Sec. 24-4.)