Providence city councilors plan to vote on whether to pass a form of rent control on Thursday night, though a key councilor remains undecided and is seeking to delay the vote.
The Providence Rent Stabilization Act would cap annual rent increases at 4%, with exceptions for new construction and smaller owner-occupied buildings.
If the legislation passes the city council, and receives approval again upon a second vote at a later date, it’s all but certain to get a veto from Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
But with a supermajority of 10 out of 15 councilors, the council could still overrule Smiley. The policy’s supporters on the council appear to be one vote shy of that threshold.
Supporters of rent stabilization are now mounting pressure on Councilor John Goncalves to become the tenth supporter. Eight councilors already signed on as sponsors of the Providence Rent Stabilization Act, and a ninth, Shelley Peterson, voted in favor of it during a committee meeting last week.
Goncalves, a teacher who lives in Fox Point, has still not taken a public position on the issue. He could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Goncalves has filed resolutions seeking to delay the rent control vote and conduct legal research on how the ordinance might fare if challenged in court.
The council meeting is scheduled to begin Thursday at 6 p.m.
