Baton Rouge leader to ask Louisiana Supreme Court for rehearing on St. George incorporation
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Metro Council Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole will be asking the Louisiana Supreme Court for a new hearing regarding the incorporation of the City of St. George.
Attorney Mary Pierson, who represents Cole, said they plan to discuss missing pieces in the ruling made on Friday which allowed part of Baton Rouge to become the city of St. George.
Baton Rouge mayor-president ‘disappointed’ in Louisiana Supreme Court OKing St. George incorporation
“They have neglected to file a correct map of the St. George area, which is required. You can’t have a city without a complete definition of the map. And the court is required to set the date of the incorporation, and they haven’t done that,” Pierson said.
Cole’s attorney asked some questions about the intentions and progression of the incorporating city.
“They relied on saying that Councilman Cole, who is specifically authorized by statute to file this lawsuit, and then they tried to, I don’t know, limit his authorities,” Pierson said.
Meanwhile, the chairman and organizers for St. George said the creation of the new city is a long time coming.
City of St. George officials talk about next steps after Louisiana Supreme Court ruling
The attorney representing St. George, J. Andrew Murrell, said all the facts are on the table.
“First of all our taxes are lower. Our property tax revenue, plus that sales tax revenue is what generates the budget that provides the services for the City of St. George. That number is estimated around $130 million,” Murrell said.
St. George incorporator Chris Rials said the new city will be a city that residenst can be proud of, adding, “We’re going to build a best-in-class pacesetter community, a public-private partnership that you will be proud of.”
While some are celebrating this milestone, others have questions about the money East Baton Rouge Parish has lost.
What you need to know about St. George: New Louisiana city will be in East Baton Rouge Parish
“They want to get all that money back, that tax money back that we’ve collected since 2019, but they have failed to do that. They’ve also failed to say that they’re going to pay us back,” Pierson said.
Pierson said she will continue this fight with plans to file the request for a rehearing before Friday, May 10.
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