PROVIDENCE — Standing in front of the dais in the City Council chamber on Wednesday night, Mayor Brett Smiley detailed to a crowd of elected officials and dignitaries how he plans to tackle the high cost of rent in Providence, from emergency rent relief to constructing more homes.
Left unmentioned: in a matter of days, he plans to veto the council’s most significant piece of housing legislation in years.
The battle over rent control in Providence has dominated the final year of Smiley’s first term, and could determine his political future as he faces a progressive challenger, state Representative David Morales, in September’s primary election. Morales supports the council’s rent stabilization plan.
The council’s ordinance, which would limit rent increases to 4 percent a year (with many exceptions), is expected to pass for a final time on Thursday and be sent to Smiley’s desk Friday morning. He has promised to veto it over concerns that it will lead to poorly maintained properties and slower housing development.
“I think rent control is actually going to make the problem worse and not better,” Smiley told reporters after his annual address. “It doesn’t provide rent relief to anyone. It doesn’t lower anyone’s rent.”
At least a third of the all-Democratic council agrees with Smiley; the chamber is currently one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override his veto.
The progressive wing of the council, led by Council President Rachel Miller, more closely aligns with Morales.
“Tomorrow we’re going to make history in the city of Providence,” Miller said after Smiley’s speech. “The council’s going to stand up for renters.”
She said it was “disappointing” that Smiley has rejected the policy, and that he didn’t suggest any changes to make it better.
Public polling suggests capping rent hikes is popular. A University of Rhode Island poll last year found 72 percent support statewide. A poll commissioned by Morales’s campaign, which surveyed likely Democratic primary voters in Providence, found 74 percent were in favor.
“I think on first blush, if you talk to anybody and say ‘I’d like to freeze your rent,’ that probably sounds pretty good,” Smiley said. “What a poll doesn’t capture is the reality of these policies.”
Smiley said there are numerous questions about the cost of the council’s proposal. He did not put any money in his budget proposal to enforce it, if it were to survive his veto.
Smiley’s annual address, tied to the submission of his budget to the council for consideration, typically serves as a chance for mayors to tout their accomplishments over the last year and pitch plans for the next one.
But in an election year, it can also feel like the opening pitch to voters. Smiley has five months to convince Democratic primary voters he deserves a second term.
“The cost of rent in Providence is too high, and we know it will not meaningfully lower until we address the underlying cause of this crisis: the housing shortage,” Smiley said in prepared remarks. “Providence needs to build more homes.”
Smiley’s package of housing proposals are expected to be funded with about $2 million in proceeds of two pending sales of city property; the old Humboldt fire station and the former Asa Messer school, which are both being sold to be turned into housing.
Pending council approval, the proceeds will fund $1 million for an emergency rent relief program, $500,000 for eviction defense, $15,000 for landlord and tenant education, and $500,000 for a revolving fund for home repairs.
Under the rent relief program, lower-income renters would be able to seek up to $3,000 in emergency money to pay rent after they have a financial setback like a job loss.
Smiley has also proposed another $25 million housing bond for the ballot this November, which still needs General Assembly approval.
He said Providence is permitting new housing units at a faster rate per capita than Boston, according to data from both cities. The 857 units Providence permitted for construction last fiscal year appears to be ahead of the pace set by Governor Dan McKee’s “Housing 2030″ plan, which calls for Providence to build 3,311 units over five years.
Smiley touted “streamlined” review processes for housing development and zoning changes that allow for more density in construction.
Morales has criticized Smiley’s housing package, arguing it does little to prevent landlords from raising rents. He has made capping rent increases a key campaign promise.
He said he was in State House hearings and could not attend Wednesday night’s address.
In a statement later Wednesday night, Morales slammed Smiley’s housing plans, arguing the rent relief program “does not provide real financial relief to tenants.”
“Instead, it provides payments directly to landlords when they are at risk of missing a payment from a family experiencing hardship,” Morales said.
Miller said she supports Smiley’s housing proposals, but said she worries they won’t work as well “in a climate where families don’t have stability year to year.”
After raising property taxes twice during his first term, Smiley did not propose any changes to tax rates for homes or businesses in his budget Wednesday, which will be vetted by the council over the next two months.
The $636 million proposal, a 1.75 percent increase over the current year, makes few major changes to the city’s annual spending plan. He allocated $149 million to the state-run school system, an amount agreed upon in a court settlement last year, and is continuing to seek to get the schools returned to local control.
Smiley has focused on quality-of-life issues and basic city services, like filling potholes and replacing garbage bins.
After a record-breaking snowy winter, he proposed Wednesday to spend $32,000 for snow-plow tracking and $35,000 for rental equipment.
And he proposed spending $139,000 for more bulletproof gear for police officers and firefighters to respond to active shooter situations, following the mass shooting at Brown University in December.
“To the first responders who arrived on scene within minutes — some of whom are with us here today — your bravery and selflessness saved lives, and we will forever be in your debt,” Smiley said in his speech, leading a standing ovation.
In a highly unusual move, the City Council tabled Smiley’s budget after receiving it Wednesday night, instead of sending it to the Finance Committee for consideration. The committee is chaired by Jo-Ann Ryan, a Smiley ally.
Miller declined to immediately explain.
“We’ve got an internal procedural thing we’re going to take care of next week,” she said.
Ryan said she would not be changing her “no” vote on rent stabilization on Thursday, regardless of whether the budget is sent to her committee.
Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.