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 Wednesday he will work with Davis to canvas

the neighborhood of more than 300 homes in search

of the 90 signatures needed.