AMHERST — A decade ago when she began renting her home in Amherst, University of Massachusetts staff member Andrea Lydick was paying $2,100 a month.

Now, the rent Lydick and her husband pay is $3,300 a month, with this set to increase to $4,000 a month later this year.

“No discernable improvements, no upgrades to justifiy the increase, just greed,” Lydick told the Town Council Monday, adding that the couple shares the dwelling with roommates to make ends meet, but soon will be leaving town.

“We can’t afford to live in Amherst and we can’t afford a $4,000 rent, so we are moving after 10 years,” Lydick said. “It’s disappointing.”

Lydick was among several area residents offering comments to the Town Council on Monday, advocating for support of a resolution for legislative bills H.2328 and S.1447, “An Act Enabling Cities and Towns to Stabilize Rents and Protect Tenants.” These bills would repeal statewide rent control preemptions, allowing cities and towns to enact rent stabilization measures and tenant protections, with exemptions for owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units and for newly constructed buildings.

Councilors endorsed the resolution, brought by District 2 Councilor Amber Cano-Martin, in a 12-1 vote.

Cano-Martin said what she heard were painful and difficult stories, and that the possibility Amherst could cap rent increases at 5% annually is a vital step to addressing the housing crisis in town and in Massachusetts.

Rent control or rent stabilization has not been allowed since a 1994 ballot initiative prohibited it.

“To overcome a crisis of this magnitude, we do need access to every tool available,” Cano-Martin said.

“Municipalities deserve the right to decide for themselves whether this policy is appropriate for our situation, and the current statewide ban prevents us from even having that choice,” said District 1 Councilor Jill Brevik.

“If only those with the highest incomes can afford to stay, then we are losing a part of the soul of the community,” said District 3 Councilor Hala Heather Lord. “Rent stabilization is not the only tool we need, but it’s an important one.”

Only Council President Mandi Jo Hanneke voted against the resolution, concerned that a five-year exemption for new building isn’t long enough for developers to get financing to build, and there is no provision to go above consumer price index so a property owner can cover the actual expenses incurred.

Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, a cosponsor of the legislation, said it has both a local option piece and a rent stabilization piece. The legislation might be the tool to ensure that a statewide referendum doesn’t take place.

Domb said there is an incredible housing crisis in the state and region, with a 23,000-unit deficit in western Massachusetts and a 5,000-unit shortage in Hampshire County. The representative said that while 30- to 40-unit developments can help, they don’t address the problem quickly.

“We need to go big, we need to have housing units of all kinds, affoerdable through market rate,” Domb said.

But rent stabilization would help in the short term. “These bills would control the rate of increase of rents, they would not lock in a rent,” Domb said.

For Leif Maynard, who grew up in Amherst and graduated from the high school in 2019, being able to own a home, start a family and be close to his parents is not something he can envision.

“That is not a possibility currently as it stands, and so I urge you to vote for this resolution,” Maynard said.

Sarah Reyes grew up in Amherst and came back after going to college in California. She discovered that she couldn'[t afford any apartments on a food-serve industry salary, and ended up living with her parents rather than being cost burdened.

“It’s extremely hard to pay for groceries, to pay for housing, to pay for anything, and this resolution would be one small effort to make that burden easier,” Reyes said.

Karen Lederer was on the first housing review rent board in Amherst back in the 1980s, where members could adjudicate complaints from renters. From 1986 to 1989, Amherst joined Brookline and Cambridge in having this board, some form of which could return if the state Legislature acts.

“We have the chance again to figure out what works for this town,” Lederer said.

While many spoke in favor of the resolution, Thomas Crossman, who handles rental properties in town, cautioned that there could be reductions in properties available and reduced maintenance on existing properties if rent stabilization is pursued.