Minneapolis City Council approves 3% rent increase cap, but Frey will veto

Mayor Frey pledges to veto rent control plan

Mayor Frey pledges to veto rent control plan

The Minneapolis City Council has approved a plan to put a rent control policy on the November ballot, but Mayor Jacob Frey has already pledged to veto it.

The two members who put the motion forward — council members Aisha Chughtai from Ward 10 and Jamal Osman from Ward 6 — propose fixing increases at 3% each year with no housing type exemptions.

The proposal passed 7-5 Thursday. Ward 7 Council Member Lisa Goodman was not present for the vote.

If the measure goes to voters and is approved, it would take effect six months after results are certified.

The move comes more than a year after voters in the city asked leaders to move forward with a rent control policy.

However, there is a lot of debate around the topic. Council members are moved forward to discuss the idea after city officials released a report recommending rent control will have a negative impact on the city.

The report says only a small percentage of people would benefit from it and predicts developers would decide not to build new rental homes, causing available housing to go down by thousands of units.

Mayor Frey has said in the past he wouldn’t approve a rent control measure if it came to his desk, and he reaffirmed that position on Thursday.

“I will veto the Council’s rent control proposal that passed today,” the mayor said in a statement. “I do not support a policy that has consistently proven to be counterproductive to housing supply and affordability.”

However, some organizations disagree, saying rent control is far overdue because of unaffordable rent prices.