City commissioners tonight will consider changes to the city’s rental licensing program that would affect when landlords must renew their licenses.

Currently, landlords who rent property that is zoned for single-family use must pay a $25 annual fee to the city. The vast majority of landlords pay in January or February.

The city now is proposing a new system that would require landlords to pay the fee during a certain month of the year, based on the last name of the landlord or the name of the corporate entity. Individuals or businesses with names beginning with A-B would renew by the end of February; C-D, March; E-G, April; H-I, May; J-L, June; M-O, July; P-R, August; S, September; and T-Z, October.

Landlords who are newly registering property will pay an initial $25 fee, and then could end up paying another $25 fee during the same year, depending on their name. Landlords who currently have property registered wouldn’t have to pay the initial fee.

None of the proposed changes address whether the city should expand the rental registration program. Commissioners are expected to consider a proposal this fall to require all rental property 50 years or older to be registered.