Minneapolis City Council members are pushing forward with rent stabilization discussions after city officials released a report recommending rent control will have a negative impact on the city.

Some local organizations disagree with the recommendation.

“We need strong rent control in the city of Minneapolis. It is long overdue,” Sean Lim, Minneapolis United for Rent Control member, said. “I’ve even been priced out of Minneapolis.”

Minneapolis United for Rent Control has been fighting for rent caps in the city for the last few years.

“We are running out of time. I am seeing my friends unable to afford to live,” Lim said.

Lim said he’s heard from the community that rent is increasing fast, and households can’t keep up.

A three percent annual rent cap has been on the table in Minneapolis.

In a 67-page report, city officials recommend not moving forward with rent control because they explained the cost outweighs the benefit.

“I think that through this report, it is abundantly clear and obvious that the city is failing people in terms of housing,” Lim said. “Our first initial reaction was that it [the report] didn’t pass the smell test. It’s quite simply a bait and switch from the independent report that was promised by the city.”

The report notes only a “small percentage of renters” would benefit from rent control.

The study also predicts developers would opt out of building new rental homes, causing the housing supply to decrease by thousands of units over time.

In an April 18 Business, Inspections, Housing & Zoning Committee meeting, city officials presented report findings to members of the city council.

Some asked why the study was conducted by the city.

“You were unable to get an expert. Can you venture to explain why no one stepped forward to accept that challenge?” Michael Rainville, Ward 3 Minneapolis Councilmember, said in the meeting.

City officials responded and said a tight timeline to produce results and a lack of available data played a role, among other things.

“There was a lot of hesitancy to engage in this topic because it’s political and there’s a lot of opinions,” a city official said in the meeting.

If the city council decides to move forward with the rent control ordinance this year, it would have to be done in time to go on the ballot in November.