“A city is not gauged by its length and width, but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams.” ~ Herb Caen

On April 26th, 2024 the Louisiana Supreme Court (LASC) confirmed by a 4-3 vote that St. George will be the fifth largest city in Louisiana with 86,000 residents.

This rare opportunity to create a pacesetter 21st century city is invigorating, since the new governance model will be decoupled from antiquated policies, practices, and politics. Of the 64 Louisiana parishes, only EBR, Orleans, and Lafayette Parishes have an elected Mayor-President. All surrounding parishes have an elected Parish-President, which avoids the inherent conflict of interest to redirect parish funds for city-only services. Never again should unincorporated areas in EBR Parish fund services that are exclusive to the city of Baton Rouge. Never again should incorporators be harassed with legal fees to defend the “consent of the governed” without evidence of fraud. The Revised Statutes must be changed.

The St. George incorporators promised to create a city that would:

• Implement “best-in-class” governance practices proven in other cities.
• Ensure funding priorities will serve the interests of local residents and businesses.
• Develop operating budgets and capital improvement programs that balance near-term needs and long-term infrastructure investments.
• Establish strategic partnerships with area cities for the betterment of EBR Parish.

OFFICERS OF NEWLY INCORPORATED ST. GEORGE:

Revised Statute 33:6 states: “The governor shall appoint all the officers of a newly incorporated municipality, who shall give bond as required. Such officers shall hold office until, the next general municipal election and until their successors take their oaths of office.” That means the governor will appoint the interim Mayor, Chief of Police, and five council members. The St. George general election for its officers will be determined at a later date.

1. GEORGE TRANSITION DISTRICT RESPONSIBILITIES:

In June 2020 Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law ACT #361 the creation of the St. George Transition District at the conclusion of all legal challenges. Now that the Supreme Court cleared all legal impediments, a five-person Transition District panel and the interim appointed officers have the legal authority to facilitate the transition of revenues and services from the City-Parish to the city of St. George. The Transition District members are:

• Incorporator – Chris Rials
• Incorporator – Norman Browning
• House Representative Rick Edmonds appointee – Andrew Murrell
• Senator Mack Bodi White appointee – Dustin Yates
• City-Parish appointee – to be named by Mayor Broome (currently vacant)

Since February 2020, the Transition District has made significant progress in planning the transition of revenues and services from the City-Parish to the city of St. George. These documents have been developed for approval by the interim city officials to be appointed by Governor Jeff Landry:

• District maps for three council seats, and two at-large council seats.
• Organization chart with roles and responsibilities as defined in the Lawrason Act.
• Plans for a future City-Manager position similar to Greenville, South Carolina.
• First-year and full-year operating budgets.
• Bank evaluations and recommendation.
• Public Works scope of services: street maintenance, drainage, grass cutting, weed control, bridges, and traffic signals.
• Planning and Zoning Commission structure, including roles and responsibilities.
• Request for Qualifications and Proposals document to be submitted to contractors to bid on providing city services for residents and businesses.
• Municipal civil code of ordinances

With the Supreme Court approval of the incorporation of St. George, the Transition District and the interim appointed officers will prioritize these deliverables:

• Enter into an agreement with the recommended banking institution to receive revenues from the City-Parish and make payments on behalf of St. George.
• Determine the amount of an interim loan to bridge the 75-day delay in sales tax revenues being remitted from the City-Parish to St. George.
• Approve the first year operating budget.
• Approve municipal civil code of ordinances.
• Formally issue the Request for Qualifications and Proposals to contractors to provide services to St. George residents and businesses for a five-year term.
• Align with East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office of financial costs and timing to provide additional safety and security services beyond their current obligations.
• Negotiate financial and fixed equipment assets to be transferred to St. George (such as reserve fund balances and equipment).
• Quantify the statutory financial liabilities to the City-Parish, such as the Employee Retirement System and Other Post Employment Benefits.
• Align with the City-Parish regarding service fees associated with Animal Control, Alcohol Beverage Control, and new construction sewer capacity impact.
• Develop a joint proposal with the City-Parish to the Environmental Protection Agency for a separate Storm Water Management Plan.

PROMISES KEPT:

The incorporators promised to defend our election victory in the Louisiana courts. The legal fees exceeding $1.1 million were funded by voluntary contributions from ~800 residents and businesses. Of the ~800 donors, nearly 90% were senior citizens over the age of 50, that accounted for 98% of the financial contributions, who remained in EBR Parish and fought to create a better future for their children and grandchildren. The incorporators wish to publicly acknowledge the strong financial support from Art Favre, Dan Heard, and Eddie Rispone.

A separate group will soon begin planning for the future St. George Independent School District, likely to be coterminous with the boundaries of the city of St. George. The exodus of residents and businesses from EBR Parish will be abated with best-in-class public services to St. George residents and businesses, and the future creation of the St. George Independent School District.

More than 4.5 years and $250 million have been lost in establishing our new city. It is time to embrace our future with enthusiasm, and deliver on the promise of “Better Government, Local Control.” We extend an open invitation to neighborhoods and businesses contiguous to the city of St. George to be a part of the coming renaissance of East Baton Rouge Parish. We are open for growth and your business.

Only in America can we dream as big as we want to. The city of St. George has fledged, where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Fly. The challenges ahead requires the expertise of seasoned professionals and administrators with a proven track record of success to chart the path forward for our new municipality to quickly become the pacesetter city in EBR Parish and the state.

Welcome to the city of St. George!