Giving its troubled short-term rental ordinance one last chance to survive, Venice City Council decided Tuesday not to scrap the ordinance. Instead, the city will wait until a lawsuit over vacation rentals plays out.

The suit — Altier v. City of Venice — could cost the city another $100,000, if not more. But if the city wins and the ordinance is found not to violate property owner’s rights, it’s a big payoff. Venice would be perhaps the only city with such an ordinance that has been found defensible.