Proponents of legalizing alcohol sales in Hartselle believe they will collect enough signatures by Monday’s deadline to have a wet-dry referendum during the November general election.

Lee Y. Greene Jr., a businessman and spokesman for the group organizing the petition drive, said they must turn the petitions with at least 913 signatures by Monday at 4 p.m. or the city council could not accept the petition in time for the November general election.

“The petitions have been everywhere and some that I don’t even know about,” Greene said. “We expect to get between 1,000 and 1,100 by the time we turn it in.

“If we don’t get it done by Monday, it would be 2016 before we could have another vote,” Greene said.

City Clerk/Controller Rita Lee said the names on the petition would not have to be verified before it is presented to the council.

“Normally, we would check the names before it came before it came to the city council, but the petition could be given to the council at its work session Monday night,” Lee said. “They could accept the petition at the next meeting pending verification of the names.”

Once the signatures are verified, the referendum would be scheduled for the November election. Lee said the council is required by law to accept the petition and call for a referendum if the number of signatures is at least 30 percent of the number of voters who participated in the last election.

Greene said they didn’t start organizing the drive until last week. Hartselle Citizens for Economic Development formally dissolved after the 2012 general election and has not filed to be a political action committee this year.