The Minneapolis Charter Commission overwhelmingly voted Wednesday to reject the idea of putting a citizen-led petition for rent control on the November ballot, citing policy and legal concerns.
But the commission suggested that a city effort to control rents still must go to voters, offering a substitute amendment that it said complies with state law.
Commission members said that a resident-driven petition — typically drafted by advocates — could result in poorly drafted law that might threaten the rights of those it's meant to help. But the commission suggested that a City Council-sponsored rent control measure must be approved at a general election by at least 51% of the voters before it can be put into effect.
Rent control efforts are meant to protect tenants, particularly people of color, from being priced out of their homes and to remedy the city's affordable housing crisis. Unlike many other major cities, Minneapolis has never had a rent control initiative as part of its charter, commission chairman Barry Clegg said.
A 1984 Minnesota law prohibits local governments from adopting rent control ordinances unless approved by voters in a general election.
Council President Lisa Bender and members Jeremiah Ellison and Cam Gordon introduced both the citizen-led and council-led rent control charter amendments. In a recent interview, Bender said offering several options for how to pass a rent stabilization policy puts the city in a better position for legal challenges, "partly because the state law is a bit ambiguous and hasn't been tested in the courts."
Council members have not offered any policy specifics on what the city's rent control program would look like. They said they first want to see if voters will approve the amendments before having that conversation.
The council's proposed amendment says that a rent control ordinance must be adopted at "a general or special election." It also states that the council may adopt a rent control ordinance without voter approval.
