LEESBURG — After last month's release of population information gathered as part of the 2010 U.S. Census, there was little doubt in one Cherokee County mayor's mind that his tiny town may be about to change forever.

According to numbers released by the Census Bureau, there are 1,027 people living in Leesburg, and a recently-passed state law allows any municipality in Alabama with at least a thousand residents to hold a wet-dry referendum.

Mayor Edward Mackey suspects a vote will take place in Leesburg pretty quickly.

"Oh, it's coming," Mackey told The Post last week. "We have been made aware that there is already a petition circulating that will ask the Town Council to proceed with a wet-dry vote."

Mackey said the petition will have to contain the signatures of at least 25 percent of Leesburg residents who voted in the last election.

"And there are two different numbers [according to state law]; one says we need 25 percent and the other says 30 percent," he said. "We're planning to go with the higher number just to be sure."

Mackey said using the higher percentage of the 311 Leesburg residents who voted most recently means he and the Council will need to see 94 signatures and confirm that all belong to residents before proceeding with a referendum.

"At that point, we will have no choice but to hold the vote because that's what the law says," Mackey said. "If the petition comes in ... we will do what the law says."

Mackey said he has spoken with officials in Collinsville who have seen their monthly tax revenues climb by around $5,000 since alcohol sales began there last November.

"That's a lot of money that we could put to good use," Mackey said. "And with alcohol sales about to begin in Centre, it's just time."

Mackey said he knows the vote will be controversial, as other alcohol votes in the county have been, beginning in Cedar Bluff in 2003. In the end, however, he said he feels the pros far outweigh the cons.

"Allowing the sale of alcohol isn't going to create more people who drink, although some will claim that," he said. "All my life, we've been standing on side of the road watching all this money drive by, headed to Etowah County. We've got to stop some of that."

Mackey said he anticipates the Town Council will receive a completed petition before its April meeting, which would allow members to quickly proceed with a referendum.

"Once a petition is presented to the clerk and we verify all the names, we'll call an election as soon as state law says we can," he said.