Mayor Mike

Wheat took liquor off the agenda before Fayetteville's

City Council meeting Tuesday, saying the time is not

right to discuss the matter.

"I

feel that it ought to be either unanimous or 4-1 before

we put [liquor] on the ballot without a petition from the

voters," Wheat said.

He had

talked to council members before the meeting, he added,

and "it looked like it was just going to be

3-2" in favor of putting a referendum on liquor by

the drink on the ballot for the city's Nov. 2 election.

"To

take a 3-2 vote on a referendum I didn't think was a very

good signal to send to the community," he added.

Lane Brown,

who has been working to get enough signatures on a

petition to force a vote on liquor, said he is only 90

signatures short of the 1,740 needed. He asked council to

consider notifying the U.S. Justice Department that the

question will be on the ballot to give him extra time to

get the final signatures.

"I've

got 1,650 signatures," said Lane. "That should

give an indication that they do want it on the

ballot."

"We'll

think about that," said Wheat.

Carl Davis,

representing the Lakemont Homeowners Association, had

attended the council meeting to comment on a zoning

matter, but during the liquor discussion stood up and

told Lane his neighborhood could supply the 90 additional

signatures needed to put liquor on the ballot. Davis and

Brown huddled after the meeting.

Brown said

he will work with Davis to canvas the neighborhood of

more than 300 homes in search of the 90 signatures

needed.

Meanwhile,

he is asking city attorney David Winkle to notify the

Justice Department in advance.