Tenant advocates rallied outside Providence City Hall this week, calling on local lawmakers to do something they’ve never done: implement rent control.

The demonstration, organized by social justice group Direct Action for Rights and Equality, or DARE, brought about 50 people to the steps of the building waving signs and demanding action this year to stem rent increases.

“As a city councilor, I hear it on a daily basis – three, four constituents,” said City Councilman Miguel Sanchez. “Across the city. It’s not even really just my neighborhood – the South Side, the North End, the West End. These prices of rent that we’re seeing are completely outrageous.”

DARE already drafted an ordinance it hopes city politicians will use to cap rent hikes. The question now: Will it be introduced? And what could change before councilors vote?

More: Rhode Island used to have rent control. What would it take to bring it back?

How would rent control work in Providence?

The 20-page draft ordinance DARE crafted is probably not exactly what will be introduced to the City Council. Before the item reaches the floor, it goes through a policy and legal review, during which changes might be made. Sanchez said he expects “there to be some changes it to it as it goes through the public process and gets vetted by our policy team.”

As written, the ordinance calls for a residential rent board that would set annual maximum increases in rent. Those amounts would be set every October, and apply to the following 12 months.

The board would be made up of nine members, including representatives from Planning and Development, the Department of Inspections and Standards, and the Rhode Island Housing Board of Commissioners. It would also include three tenant advocates and three landlord advocates.

But it wouldn’t just determine allowable rental increases. It would have a slew of reporting tasks, such as publishing statistics on notices to vacate, and compiling an annual list of 25 landlords whose properties have the most code violations.

It was not immediately clear how the board would gather comprehensive information on all code violations in the city. Theoretically, that would require thorough inspections across the city by just four code compliance inspectors.

When might an ordinance be introduced?

Sanchez couldn’t say what specific changes the ordinance might see, but he said a rent control ordinance would be introduced to the Council this year, with him or another member as the lead sponsor.

Already, the push has support from Council President Rachel Miller, who has long been advocating for rent control, including at a past campaign event for former mayoral candidate Gonzalo Cuervo.

More: Rent stabilization in Providence? Mayoral candidate debuts plan to stabilize housing access

“I fully believe in a Council open to proposals from community organizations and applaud all the organizations involved with putting this draft proposal together,” Miller said in a statement Thursday. “I support passing a rent stabilization ordinance this year and believe that it is one tool in the toolbox to expand housing access and affordability in Providence. A policy of this magnitude requires careful diligence and input from various stakeholders, and I look forward to doing that work over the next several months.”

However, Mayor Brett Smiley has made clear his belief that rent stabilization doesn’t work. Even before he was elected mayor, Smiley contended that rent control has failed in other cities, leads to less building maintenance, and doesn’t control property taxes for owners.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence rent control ordinance sheds light on how it works