After seven years of debate, city councillors are poised to decide whether the city of Hamilton will get a lobbyist registry.

At a special meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday, city councillors will debate whether to implement the contentious registry, which would make public the names of individuals or organizations who lobby city council and its senior administrative staff.

The contentious registry concept dates back to 2007, when the city established an accountability and transparency subcommittee.

Those in favour of the registry say it makes city hall more transparent. Those against say it deters private business and developers from coming to Hamilton. The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce recently weighed in on the latter concern.

The city has gathered about 37 comments from the public over the last two months. At Wednesday’s special general issues committee meeting, councillors will discuss the feedback and vote on whether to implement a registry.

CBC Hamilton reporter Samantha Craggs is tweeting live from the meeting. Follow her at @SamCraggsCBC or in the window below.