Two Rockville City councilmembers will introduce a motion at an upcoming meeting to discuss rent stabilization.
Councilmembers Izola Shaw and David Myles said they planned to revisit rent stabilization after listening to about 30 people who urged council members to enact rent stabilization during their meeting June 16.
The topic was discussed last summer but not adopted last summer.
During last week’s meeting’s public comment section of Tuesday’s council session, one resident said she was tired of talking to councilmembers about rent stabilization. She then turned around and addressed a supportive crowd, stating that councilmembers want to enrich themselves” rather do what’s best for the community.
She, like several other speakers, vowed to campaign heavily against the four councilmembers and mayor who do not support mandatory rent stabilization. “We need to give power to people who support us,” she said.
A member of the Huntington Tenant Association told councilmembers, “The rent is too damn high. We will flee Rockville.”
Fred Evans, former principal at Gaithersburg High School, said his rent increased by 8%. “Fortunately, I can afford to live where I live, but I am concerned” for those who cannot.
Another speaker said that her rent rose 17% over two years, and another speaker, who works at National Institutes of Health, said “over 50% of my take home pay goes to rent.”
Montgomery County has rent stabilization, but because the City of Rockville has its own housing authority, it does not fall under the county program.
Effective July 1, Montgomery County’s rent stabilization increase allowance will be 5.7%, a decrease from the 2024 allowance of 6%.
Shaw and Myles were the only councilmembers to support rent stabilization last year.
Following the meeting, Mayor Monique Ashton sent a statement to MCM on behalf of herself and the council.
According to Shaw, the issue needs to be revisited. “People showed there is a great need.”
Shaw suggested that the council discussion include capping rent increases, banning junk fees, exempting new construction and small landlords as well as affordable housing providers and creating a fair petition for landlords to request a waiver. She also called for strict enforcement.
During the meeting, Shaw suggested that rent increases be limited to 3% or the current rate of inflation. But in a discussion with MCM later, she said she would agree to a rate cap similar to the county’s “or stronger.”
“This is an invitation to collaborate with all of us on this,” Shaw said, adding, “I wanted to share these measures as a starting point so we could have a conversation.”
Myles said he thought a conversation was needed. “I don’t think burying our heads in the sand will bring us closer to this.”
During the meeting, there was a discussion on whether a matter that had already been discussed could be brought up again by someone who was not in the majority during the previous discussion.
But Shaw said, ” It’s new, and I am just introducing it.” She added, “I am proposing us to have a discussion based on the community’s input.”
She added, “I am going to continue fighting for rent stabilization. There are skyrocketing rates. I am hearing more and more of double-digit increases, and that is not acceptable.”
Councilmember Adam Van Grack countered, “We already had this discussion.”
He said, “Given the research and data that is currently available, I am still concerned that mandatory caps” are not helpful to tenants. “I want to help renters, but I don’t support that aspect,” he said.
