The heavily-debated landlord-tenant ordinance is set to be heard before the DeKalb City Council tonight.

DeKalb City Manager Jim Connors is ready to leave the proposed ordinance up to the council.

“What we are saying is, ‘here it is,’” Connors said, referring to the proposal’s consideration status before the council. “Do you want to talk about it some more? Do you want it to go to workshop? What do you want to do?”

In order for the ordinance to be written into the Municipal Code, it must be approved to be considered, passed on first reading and then passed again in the second reading.

The council also could choose to send the ordinance back to city staff and the fact-finding commission to clear certain areas up, or it could simply choose to not hear the ordinance at all.

The landlord-tenant ordinance idea has been bounced around between aldermen, lawyers, city staff, landlords, two mayors and a fact-finding committee since 5th Ward Ald. Pat Conboy introduced a proposal for the creation of an ordinance in October of last year.

The ordinance does not contain the creation of an ombudsman’s office after a debate over who should be appointed to the post, and several members were concerned about the cost the post would require.

Because the ombudsman would need to give legal advice, he or she would have to be licensed in law and the council didn’t like the idea of paying for another lawyer.

Under an earlier-proposed ordinance, the ombudsman would mediate disputes between landlords and tenants.

The committee agreed that if enough disputes arise between landlords and tenants to justify creating the post, the committee will do so one year after the law has gone into effect.