The Providence City Council’s rent control ordinance is on the fast track after a special subcommittee advanced the measure last night.

The proposal now needs to be approved by two separate votes of the full council, with the first set for April 2. 

There is little doubt that Council President Rachel Miller has the votes she needs to win passage, but there is plenty of doubt over whether the ordinance will see the light of day. Mayor Brett Smiley has threatened to veto the proposal, and it’s unclear if there are 10 votes on the 15-member council to override a veto.

Politically, Smiley finds himself in a precarious position.

He strongly opposes the ordinance – which places a 4 percent maximum cap on annual rent increases on certain properties – because he thinks it will stymie development of desperately needed housing units in the city. But he also knows that polling shows the concept of rent control is wildly popular among voters.

He now finds himself with a choice to allow the ordinance to become law or veto it and risk energizing the campaign of his Democratic primary challenger, state Representative David Morales, who has made rent control a signature part of his platform.

So what else should you be watching? My colleague Steph Machado has been monitoring the proposal closely, so I asked her to share some thoughts.

Steph writes: “All eyes are now on Councilman John Goncalves, who appears to be the swing vote on the veto override for rent control. The council will likely have enough votes next week to pass the ordinance, but be short of the 10 needed to override Mayor Smiley's veto. Goncalves told me he hasn't decided how he'll vote, but said he's ‘never seen a policy of this magnitude passed that quickly,’ and more study is needed. ‘None of this should be rushed,’ he said.”

The clock is ticking for another reason, Steph notes. 

“Smiley has a budget due to the council on April 15, and it's unclear if he will earmark any money to enforce rent control, including for the new rent board called for in the ordinance,” she said.