RUSSEL, Ky. (WSAZ) -- With gas still sky high, and the price of most other goods and services on the rise, some say a good stiff drink would ease the economic pain.

We're talking about the continuing effort to turn one of our still dry communities wet, or should we say moist?

Organizers in Russell, Kentucky, say they have enough petition names to put a liquor-by-the-drink vote on the city's November ballot.

They serve plenty of soft drinks at Russell's El Colonial Mexican Restaurant, but manager Juan Ortiz says if he could offer customers something a little harder to drink with those chips and salsa, it would definitely spice up his profits.

“It would help us by 10 percent or more,” Ortiz said.

And most of Juan’s soft drinking customers we talked with agreed.

”I know a lot of people are opposed, but I would like to order a drink with dinner,” customer Jennifer Mullens said.

“I like Mexican food and work close by. It would be nice to have a margarita with a meal,” customer Taryn Myers said.

The issue would only affect the city of Russell. All of Greenup County is currently dry. Moist vote organizers used a direct mail campaign to get petitions filled. They say they've more than doubled the minimum number of names needed, and they say there's a national franchise ready to build on the old Russell Ponderosa site, maybe a Red Lobster, if the liquor by the glass issue passes.

Many believe Russell restaurants serving drinks would boost customers in other businesses and help fill now empty stores, and some non-drinkers we polled weren't totally opposed.

”I don't drink and I wouldn't vote for it, but everyone's entitled to their own opinion,” customer Chad Scott said. “I would still come here.”

Ortiz says he might buy out the empty store next door to expand and qualify to switch from dry to moist if the issue passes.

“Now they’re going to Ashland and Ohio,” he said.

Russell's mayor says he and the city council are staying neutral on the issue but are ready to draw up the liquor by the drink ordinance if it passes in November.

The Russell vote is similar to a moist issue that passed in Boyd County last year. The Greenup county clerk says the petitions are due in early August. Then each name must be checked to see if they are all properly registered in the right voting precinct.