City council members chose wisely Monday night when they voted down a proposed rental ordinance. Despite months of work and several drafts, it was clear that there was no council consensus on whether an ordinance is needed and, if so, what precise purpose it should serve.

The measure that came before the council Monday night would have required landlords to register their property with the city and pay a fee for doing so. The only apparent benefit (unless one counts ginning up more sources of fee revenue for the city) would have been that emergency responders could more easily find and contact a landlord in the event of trouble at a property. The ordinance did not, however, come close to addressing the primary concern, which is the perception that some rental properties in the city are run-down, trashy-looking places that decrease neighborhood housing values.

Austin already has, of course, ordinances to address sub-standard property maintenance, so it is unclear why even a well-designed “rental ordinance” would be needed to address concerns about run-down properties.

Nevertheless, the council has wasted months of its own and city staff’s time on the proposed rental ordinance. Fortunately, a majority got it right be torpedoing the idea on Monday night.