ST. GEORGE – City of St. George leaders are pushing back against statements regarding “complexities” of the city’s transition outlined in a letter from East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. They say that in the Aug. 13th letter, the City-Parish is calling for a collaboration while it has actively worked against the new city.
The letter, which was put together with “tremendous input” from the parish attorney’s office and multiple city parish departments, outlines what the mayor-president sees as challenges that the St. George leaders should address.
As you know, there are a number of complexities which we must address together to ensure that this transition is as seamless as possible so that our communities do not experience a disruption in essential services.
You have my personal commitment to working collaboratively with you in a diligent and good faith manner to address any and all challenges as quickly as possible.
Among the first challenges listed is the question of St. George’s incorporation date. The letter states that both the City-Parish and St. George must agree on an effective day of incorporation and that the City-Parish has not received a definite date from Yates or Murrell.
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of St. George on April 26, 2024, and Chairman Andrew Murrell said there’s no question that the city has been incorporated by at least that date.
He told UWK that it is only “logical” that the incorporation date be the election date in 2019, when voters decided in favor of the new city. He cited the lawsuit concerning the City of Central, Louisiana, where the incorporation date was retroactive by two years.
“We can fight over the old incorporation date issue later. Right now, there’s no dispute that this area is owed some money from this day forward,” Murrell said.
Another concern stated in the mayor-president’s letter is the uncertainty of the defined boundaries of St. George.
Unfortunately, when the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed the decisions of the trial court and the First Circuit Court of Appeal, it did not, as required by La. R.S. 33:4(E), fix an effective date, set the boundaries of the city or remand the case to the trial court for a determination of these key issues.
Murrell disagreed, saying that when the court ruled in favor of the City of St. George, there was no need to review different maps or determine boundaries
“The only map that the courts have ever seen and looked at – period – is the map that we included on the petition that the citizens voted on in the election, and the only map that has been put before a court.”
There is currently a lawsuit against the City-Parish contesting its annexations, Murrell explained, because at the time the City-Parish made them, the incorporation lawsuit was not finished.
“That lawsuit is likely going to determine whether those annexations are legal, and that will ultimately determine the map,” he said.
Taxes were also a focus of Tuesday’s letter.
Practically speaking, to properly calculate the accurate amount of sales and use tax collected in the St. George Transition District or the City of St. George, a column or “field” must be added to the current EBR Sales and Use Tax Report. This technical process is lengthy and requires not only internal programming changes, but notifications to multiple state agencies which must make changes to their systems as well.
Murrell laughed and said it was “almost comical” to consider the length of time it would take to add a column to a spreadsheet.
In addition, the letter notes that the City of St. George must provide a list in writing of services that it wishes for the City-Parish to continue providing and the period of time for the services to be provided. However, Murrell said this has been done multiple times, both at meetings and by email.
Murrell expressed frustration that the City-Parish has continuously made statements of wanting to work together, but then its actions, including the letter, indicate the opposite.
St. George Mayor Dustin Yates echoed Murrell’s sentiments and expressed hope for the future of the transition.
“My feeling is the same as it’s always been: We hope that the City-Parish would work with us in the transition process to make it as smooth as possible, because ultimately, it’s not just about the City of St. George. It’s about what’s best for East Baton Rouge Parish,” said Mayor Yates.
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