BLOOMINGTON - Two signatures kept the question of whether the city of Bloomington should pay a "living wage" on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Of the 422 signatures challenged on the Central Illinois Organizing Project's referendum petition, the Bloomington Election Commission found that 316 were invalid.

That left 1,497 signatures on the petition. The group needed 1,496.

"People now get to decide on living wage and we are looking forward to it," said Don Carlson, the organizing project's executive director.

A living wage - defined as the pay rate that would allow a person working a 40-hour week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the city - is about $9.81 an hour for the area, according to the petition filed with the election commission. Minimum wage in the state is $7.75 per hour.

Guy Hanna of Bloomington challenged the organizing project's petition on the grounds they did not have enough signatures.

In total, the organizing project collected 1,813 signatures.

Hanna argued many of those who signed were not registered voters living at the address they wrote on the petition.

During the hearing, Carlson argued that the signatures of voters should be considered regardless of their addresses because they still have until Oct. 7 to correct their addresses to be allowed to vote in November.

The election commission ruled that a petition signer's address has to be the same as the address on the voter's registration. Not enough signatures were disallowed, however, to stop the petition.

Some signatures were challenged on other grounds, such as legibility, whether someone signed more than once and whether the signer actually lived in Bloomington.

The question, "Shall all the employees and subcontracted workers of the city of Bloomington be paid a living wage of at least $9.81 per hour, with an annual cost of living adjustment," will go on the ballot unless Hanna challenges the commission's ruling in McLean County Circuit Court.

Hanna declined to comment after the hearing.

The organizing project has tried for several years to get the city and operators of the city-owned U.S. Cellular Coliseum to pay workers a wage that meets that guideline.

The referendum is nonbinding and the results will not compel the Bloomington City Council or the Coliseum management to take any action.

In November 2004, the City Council voted 5-4 against a living wage proposal.