What you need to know about St. George: New Louisiana city will be in East Baton Rouge Parish
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The city of St. George will be in the southern tip of East Baton Rouge Parish. Residents have been working to incorporate since 2018, and a Louisiana Supreme Court decision released on Friday, April 26, reversed a lower court’s ruling and will permit the city to incorporate.
Previous estimates stated about 86,000 residents were expected to live in the approximately 60-square-mile area, per the St. George website. It makes up about 22% of the parish of Baton Rouge and other incorporated areas, according to estimates referenced in the Supreme Court opinion.
In a proposal on the St. George website, founders cite the city’s high crime rates and concerns with city-parish tax spending as reasons they want their own government.
They also looked at East Baton Rouge Parish School System scores up to the 2015-16 school year. The founding group initially created a school district but couldn’t get a two-thirds majority for a constitutional amendment to fund schools in the area. According to the St. George website, their goal remains to create a city and change education options in EBR Parish.
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The Supreme Court said St. George is identifiable as a distinct community “with a thriving business community and its own fire department.”
J. Andrew Murrell, an attorney representing the incorporators, said they expect the process to take time and will work with the East Baton Rouge Parish government on a smooth transition.
What will the government look like?
The founders looked at Sandy Springs, Georgia, as an example of a model city to follow. Sandy Springs was incorporated in 2005. The Atlanta suburb has about 107,000 residents and a low crime rate.
Plans for the government call for a mayor and five council members — three to be elected from districts and two at-large.
The new city plans to support itself with a 2% sales tax that’s estimated to bring in about $48 million per year. The funds are currently paid to East Baton Rouge City-Parish, and voters will have the option to swap the funding to the new city once it’s incorporated.
Approximately 54% of residents previously OK’d the incorporation. In the Louisiana Supreme Court decision that approved the change, incorporator Chris Rials is quoted as saying, “one would reasonably expect that if 54% of voters wanted to have St. George, 54% would approve what they’re already paying for.”
Lawyer for new city of St. George talks about Supreme Court decision OKing incorporation
The city of St. George plans to continue using some services provided by East Baton Rouge Parish, according to the plan published online. They include:
East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office (criminal and civil services).
19th Judicial District Court.
Emergency Medical Services.
Alcohol Beverage Control.
Mosquito and Rodent Control.
Animal Control.
BREC.
East Baton Rouge Parish Library control.
Garbage/trash collection.
Fire protection will be provided by the St. George and East Side departments.
“The new city will provide for the maintenance and upkeep of streets, bridges, medians, ditches, canals, and other public grounds and facilities in the new city,” according to the St. George website.
A lower court decision denied the petition to incorporate, noting the city might not be able to provide services or maintain a balanced budget. The Supreme Court determined those were errors when saying St. George can proceed.
The petition to incorporate specifies that all non-parish services will be provided “subject to the availability of funds derived from taxes, license fees, permits and other revenue which become available to the municipality and are authorized by state law.”
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