susano
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The Louisiana Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the new City of St George could move forward with incorporation, splitting off from the rest of Baton Rouge.
St George will have 86,000 residents across a 60-square-mile area in the southeast of East Baton Rouge Parish and will have its own Mayor and city council.
Supporters of the new city say that the existing city-parish government is poorly run, with high crime rates and bad schools.
Opponents say the movement is 'racist' and will create a 'white enclave' as it separates a wealthy area of the city from the majority Black city and school district.
Plans for St George started nearly 15 years ago when residents decided they would like to start their own school district.
Their plans then grew more ambitious and in 2015 they drew up a proposal to create their own city.
The proposal didn't get enough votes and the movement ground to a halt until 2019, when a second ballot to incorporate St George passed, with 54 percent of residents voting in favor of separation.
A lengthy court battle followed, with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole suing St. George organizers soon after the election.
They argued that St George would siphon over $48 million in annual tax revenue from the city-parish government with serious knock-on effects for local services and staff.
Lower courts in Louisiana supported Baton Rouge's arguments, and shot down the proposed new city.
But now the state's Supreme Court has overruled their decisions, saying that the internal budget is balanced and will be able to provide public services, meaning St George can incorporate.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13362499/louisiana-st-george-supreme-court-ruling.html
St George will have 86,000 residents across a 60-square-mile area in the southeast of East Baton Rouge Parish and will have its own Mayor and city council.
Supporters of the new city say that the existing city-parish government is poorly run, with high crime rates and bad schools.
Opponents say the movement is 'racist' and will create a 'white enclave' as it separates a wealthy area of the city from the majority Black city and school district.
Plans for St George started nearly 15 years ago when residents decided they would like to start their own school district.
Their plans then grew more ambitious and in 2015 they drew up a proposal to create their own city.
The proposal didn't get enough votes and the movement ground to a halt until 2019, when a second ballot to incorporate St George passed, with 54 percent of residents voting in favor of separation.
A lengthy court battle followed, with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Mayor Pro Tem Lamont Cole suing St. George organizers soon after the election.
They argued that St George would siphon over $48 million in annual tax revenue from the city-parish government with serious knock-on effects for local services and staff.
Lower courts in Louisiana supported Baton Rouge's arguments, and shot down the proposed new city.
But now the state's Supreme Court has overruled their decisions, saying that the internal budget is balanced and will be able to provide public services, meaning St George can incorporate.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13362499/louisiana-st-george-supreme-court-ruling.html
