The Austin City Council passed a rental registration ordinance Tuesday after years of discussion, a similar proposal in 2011, and recent divisions over the ordinance.

Though Tuesday’s 4-2 vote went far quicker than a similar vote on Dec. 15, several landlords and property managers were at Tuesday’s council meeting to see whether the ordinance would go through.

Landlord Peter Grover said the Austin Area Landlord Association supported the measure, but landlords were wary of the ordinance’s future implications.

“Our concerns are that we don’t want to see any future increase in regulations or fees,” Grover said. “That’s our biggest concern.”

The council has struggled with a rental ordinance for years as residents ask the city to deal with delinquent properties. Various councils have researched a rental ordinance since 2009 and proposed a similar registration ordinance in 2011, but the council voted it down.

The council would create an ordinance to require all Austin rental property owners and managers to register with the city, which would effectively create a database for planning and zoning employees.

In addition, city departments would come together to create a mandatory educational program for owners and managers that covers owner and tenant rights before they can register. City officials say the registration process and class would be free.

Under the recommendations, city inspections would continue on a complaint-only basis.

The plan was created after Enright and Austin met with former Community Development Director Craig Hoium and Austin Housing and Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Jon Erichson earlier this year. The group also sought input from Grover.

Council members approved a draft plan of the ordinance in May but decided to table the issue and wait until the city’s planning and zoning department was fully staffed. The council voted earlier this year to increase a part-time inspector position to full-time and three people have been hired to replace Hoium, who retired in August.

Yet Grover and other landlords were concerned about potential fee increases down the road, among other things. The council discussed potentially charging $10 to re-register every three years during a Dec. 1 work session, but council members decided to table discussions on fees.

Council Members Janet Anderson, Steve King, Roger Boughton and Judy Enright voted in favor of the ordinance, while Michal Jordal and Jeremy Carolan voted against. Council Member Jeff Austin was not present.

The council voted on the measure during a Dec. 15 meeting after Enright publicly criticized Austin, Jordal and Carolan for voting against the ordinance at a work session months after everyone had voted the issue through.

Mayor Tom Stiehm announced during that meeting the council would revisit the issue before the end of 2014 to finish its work on the ordinance.