SANFORD — The City Council meeting erupted with applause Tuesday night after councilors approved a rent stabilization ordinance on mobile home lots.

The ordinance, approved by a 6-1 vote, restricts the frequency of rent increases on mobile home lots to once a year and limits how much those increases can be.

The goal of the ordinance is to protect Sanford mobile home residents from exorbitant rent increases while still ensuring a reasonable rate of return for park owners.

Sanford Mayor Becky Brink started the meeting Tuesday by commending the mobile home park residents for working with the council to get the ordinance passed.

“I think you’re gonna be very proud of (the ordinance), and I think this is gonna protect you,” she said. “I’m so proud and pleased with all the work that you people did. Thank you for not giving up. Thank you for allowing us to move forward with this.”

She also went on to praise City Manager Steven Buck’s work on the ordinance language.

“We put a lot of work into this ordinance,” Buck said after the meeting. “With the parks that already have extremely high rents, you can’t peel those back.”

The ordinance limits once-a-year rent increases to either 3% of the current base rent or the most recent annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.

Buck said those limits were important to try and protect residents who already deal with high rents.

The ordinance also establishes a rent stabilization board, which will hear appeals requested by park owners if they want to make any rent increases outside the new restrictions. City leaders have said neither park residents nor owners will be permitted to join the board, to maintain neutrality.

The ordinance will take effect June 14, one day before a city moratorium temporarily restricting rent increases is set to expire, city staff said.

Councilor Jonathan Martell was the lone vote against the ordinance. At the first reading of the proposed language on May 5, he said that while he sympathized with residents, rent stabilization of any kind could be a “slippery slope,” and that he doesn’t support rent control of any kind.

Kim Arno, a resident of Pinewood Park, said the ordinance’s passage is a major relief. Arno — a cancer survivor who relies on disability benefits — said she has been struggling to pay her rent since her roommate died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I had been fighting for my home since I lost my friend,” she said Tuesday.

Michael Helie, a resident of Country Living Mobile Home Park, said he was happy that the council was so receptive. He said while he thinks a lot of municipalities are relying on new statewide protections for mobile home park residents, those just aren’t enough.

“ I feel like I have longevity in the park and financial stability,” he said. “I’m grateful for the City Council, who humbly heard our cry for help.”