St. George, Louisiana

Last updated

St. George
City-of-St.-George-Logo.png
CountryUnited States
State Louisiana
Parish East Baton Rouge
IncorporatedOctober 12, 2019
Government
  MayorDustin Yates
Population
 (2019)
  Total86,316
Time zone UTC-6:00 (CST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-5:00 (CDT)
Website Official website

St. George is the newest incorporated city in Louisiana. It was approved in a ballot initiative on October 12, 2019. [1] Upon incorporation, it became the fifth largest city in Louisiana and the second largest in East Baton Rouge Parish with a population of 86,316. [2] [3] The city originated from a previously unincorporated area of East Baton Rouge Parish located southeast of the City of Baton Rouge. [2] [4]

Contents

A legal action [5] to challenge the incorporation [6] of St. George was filed in 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish on November 4, 2019. After rulings by both the 19th Judicial District Court [7] and the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeals, [8] the Louisiana Supreme court upheld incorporation by a 4-3 decision. [9] [10]

Background & Lawsuit

Efforts to incorporate

In 2012 and again in 2013, St. George organizers [11] sought approval of the state legislature to form a new school district but were unsuccessful. [12] In June 2015, organizers attempted to form a new city but failed to collect enough signatures [13] (71 short of the minimum 17,859 required) on the petition (at least 25 percent of electors residing in an area proposed for incorporation is needed). [14] Consequently, an election could not be called. [15] [16] The formation of a new city is seen as a pathway for forming a new school district. [17] The formation of a new school district would require approval of the state legislature as well as approval of voters at the state level and approval of voters in East Baton Rouge Parish. [18]

In October 2018, St. George organizers submitted a second petition to form a new city. [19] This petition proposed a smaller city that included some of the same area as the original petition but reduced the minority representation within the proposed city from 23% to 12%. [20]

In February 2019, the East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters declared that the petition had enough valid signatures (at least 12,996 required; 14,585 accepted) to meet the requirements for eligibility. [21] In March 2019, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards authorized adding the petition to the October 12, 2019, ballot. [22]

Of the more than 54,000 registered voters living in the St. George area, approximately 32,293 (59%) cast ballots, with 17,422 (54%) voting in favor of incorporation and 14,871 (46%) voting against. [23] [24]

However, before the Governor could appoint [25] an interim mayor and interim city council, a legal action [5] was filed to contest the incorporation.

Relief sought by the plaintiffs included a favorable judgement denying the incorporation of St. George, or, alternatively, a parish-wide election to determine if the Plan of Government should be amended to allow for the formation of a new city. Plaintiffs also requested that the court hold defendants responsible for the costs of litigation.

19th Judicial Court

The May 31, 2022 ruling by the 19th Judicial Court was based on state law governing "Legal action contesting an incorporation":

If the district court determines that the provisions of this Subpart have not been complied with, that the proposed municipality will not be able to provide the public services proposed in the petition within a reasonable period of time, or that the incorporation is unreasonable, the district court shall enter an order denying the incorporation. La. R.S. 33:4(E)(2)(a)

The judgment addressed many issues in the trial, including:

Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal

The First Circuit Court ruling on July 14, 2023, included the following judgements: [27]

A spokesman for the City of St. George said the matter would be appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court. [28]

Louisiana State Supreme Court

The Supreme Court Ruling on April 26, 2024 affirmed the incorporation of the City of St. George in a 4-3 decision. This ruling directly addressed the issues of Baton Rouge in the following points

The concluding statement of the courts' opinion included the following statement:

"Despite the challenge, we conclude St. George can provide public services within a reasonable period of time. Applying objective factors to determine reasonableness, we hold incorporation is reasonable. We reverse the lower courts’ denial of incorporation and render judgment in favor of Proponents." [10]

Allegations of Racist Motivation

St George, Louisiana has 86,000 residents and around 70% are white. But almost half of residents who lived there voted against its incorporation. [29] [30] [31] Opponents who voted against St. George claim the split is racially motivated and will create a 'white enclave', leaving struggling black communities behind with some fearing a potential exodus of families who live within the new city limits but voted against its creation. [32] The entirety of East Baton Rouge is 47% Black. [33] St. George supporters vehemently deny the suggestion that the city was created with any malicious racial intent. [34]

The NAACP Baton Rouge Chapter as well as Baton Rouge mayor Sharon Weston Broome strongly opposed the creation of St. George. [35] Opponents have argued that the St. George movement is inherently racist as it creates legal lines of segregation. [36]

Annexations

Incorporated areas of East Baton Rouge Parish with City of Baton Rouge highlighted. Any property owner in unincorporated areas adjacent to the Baton Rouge city limits can petition for annexation into Baton Rouge. East Baton Rouge Parish Louisiana incorporated and unincorporated areas Baton Rouge highlighted.svg
Incorporated areas of East Baton Rouge Parish with City of Baton Rouge highlighted. Any property owner in unincorporated areas adjacent to the Baton Rouge city limits can petition for annexation into Baton Rouge.

Any property owner in unincorporated areas adjacent to the Baton Rouge city limits (such as those in the St. George area) can request to be annexed into the capital city. [37] The request for annexation must be submitted to the Metro Council for approval. [38]

During the first petition effort, several residents and business owners annexed into the Baton Rouge city limits (viz., Baton Rouge General Medical Center – Bluebonnet Campus, [39] Celtic Media, Costco, L'Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, Mall of Louisiana, [40] Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, [40] Siegen Lane Marketplace and the residential neighborhood Legacy Court).

Following the October 12, 2019, election, additional residents [41] and business owners [42] in the proposed St. George city limits requested annexation into the City of Baton Rouge (viz., One United Plaza, Two United Plaza, Four United Plaza, Eight United Plaza, Twelve United Plaza, United Plaza III, Lipsey's [43] and Turner Industries [44] ). [45] [46] [47] On January 8, 2020, the Metro Council approved all of these annexations. [48]

On February 7, 2020, St. George organizers filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate the annexations in the United Plaza area. The lawsuit claims that the legal requirements for these annexations were not followed. [49] [50] [51] An attorney who represents the property owners claims that the lawsuit is without merit. [52]

On February 26, 2020, the Metro Council approved additional annexations into the City of Baton Rouge (viz., Louisiana State Employees Retirement System, Teachers Retirement System of Louisiana and Two Sisters of Baton Rouge). [53]

Meanwhile, annexation into the proposed City of St. George is not possible while it lacks certification as a city and a governing authority. [54]

History

1770 "Draught of the R. Ibbeville", i.e., Bayou Manchac (Library of Congress) Draught of the R. Ibbeville. LOC 2003627089.jpg
1770 "Draught of the R. Ibbeville", i.e., Bayou Manchac (Library of Congress)

Native American presence

After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, Bayou Manchac (originally known as Rivière d'Iberville or the Iberville River) became an international border between the British (West Florida) and Spanish (Isle of Orleans) colonial territories. This bayou (which now marks the southern border of the proposed City of St. George) runs from the Mississippi River on the west to the Amite River on the east.

Native Americans, specifically Choctaw, were known to have lived in southeast Louisiana when Europeans first arrived. [55] In 1764, after encroachment from European settlers, the Alabama-Coushatta and Pakana Muscogee Indians migrated into Louisiana, to just north of Bayou Manchac. [56]

American Revolution

In 1765, the British built Fort Bute on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River at Bayou Manchac, not far from the present-day University Club Golf Course. The fort consisted of a blockhouse and stockade capable of holding 200 men.[ citation needed ]

On May 8, 1779, Spain officially entered the American Revolutionary War by declaring war against the British. With this news, Bernardo de Galvez, the colonial Governor of Spanish Louisiana, began assembling an ad hoc army of over 1400 Spanish regulars, Acadian militia, [57] free men of color and native Americans.[ citation needed ] On August 27, 1779, they began advancing toward Baton Rouge. Trudging through muddy swamp at a rate of nine miles a day, they arrived at Fort Bute eleven days later.[ citation needed ] After a brief skirmish, they captured and demolished the fort in what would become the first Spanish action against the British during the American Revolutionary War. Galvez and his army remained at Fort Bute for six days before moving on to defeat the British garrison at Fort New Richmond in the Battle of Baton Rouge (1779).[ citation needed ] Their victories at Fort Bute and Fort New Richmond helped to clear the Mississippi River of British forces and put the lower Mississippi River under Spanish control.[ citation needed ]

War of 1812

During the War of 1812, U.S. Gen. Andrew Jackson had the mouth of Bayou Manchac filled with earth to prevent the British from using it to launch a surprise attack on New Orleans. In 1828, American settlers reinforced that blockage with a large earthen dam to stifle flood waters from regularly inundating their properties. Although it was later suggested that reconnecting the two bodies of water might actually help alleviate flooding in the area, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to. [58]

Historic sites

The National Register of Historic Places includes several sites in the St. George area. Among them are:

Other sites of historical interest in the St. George area include:

Village St. George

Between 1956 and 1968, the Village St. George subdivision was constructed [69] near its namesake, later forming the nucleus of the census-designated place (CDP) of the same name.

In 1966, the increased suburbanization of the area warranted the creation of the "Village St. George Volunteer Fire Department and Social Club", now called the St. George Fire Protection District. Its coverage area also overlapped with much of the proposed new city's boundaries. [70]

Place names

1895 map of East Baton Rouge Parish (Library of Congress) Map of the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana LOC 2012592319.jpg
1895 map of East Baton Rouge Parish (Library of Congress)

Prominent place names in the St. George area include:

Geography

Area

The proposed city would cover approximately 60 square miles [2] and be located entirely within the southeastern section of East Baton Rouge Parish, bordered on the west by the Mississippi River, on the south by Bayou Manchac, and on the east by the Amite River. Much of the northwestern boundary of the city would extend to the Baton Rouge city limits, although portions of St. George would border unincorporated parish land. [78]

The 2016 Louisiana floods affected much of East Baton Rouge Parish, including the St. George area. Baton Rouge Flood August 2016 20160815-OC-DOD-0010.jpg
The 2016 Louisiana floods affected much of East Baton Rouge Parish, including the St. George area.

Flooding

The 2016 Louisiana floods had a profound effect upon East Baton Parish, particularly along the Comite River, the Amite River and Bayou Manchac. [81] In response, East Baton Rouge Parish developed a Stormwater Master Plan Implementation Framework to mitigate flooding concerns.

In 2018, Congress authorized funding for the East Baton Rouge Parish Flood Risk Reduction Project to reduce flooding throughout the parish. [82] Using $187 million in federal funds and $64 million in matching state and local funds, the project will provide for 66 miles of drainage improvements along five sub-basins in the parish (see interactive map of the EBR Flood Risk Management Project). In the St. George area, the authorized four-year projects involve:

  1. Jones Creek and tributaries: clearing and snagging three miles and structurally lining 16 miles with reinforced concrete ($148.5 million)
  2. Ward Creek and tributaries: clearing and snagging 14 miles of channel and concrete lining ($20.5 million)
  3. Bayou Fountain: clearing and widening 11 miles of channel ($13 million)

Organizers of the proposed City of St. George have budgeted $2,247,000 in Year 1 for drainage and transportation. [83] This accounts for just over 1 percent of the proposed costs.

Baton Rouge fault

The Baton Rouge fault is an active growth fault that runs across the southern part of East Baton Rouge Parish, including parts of the St. George area. [84] It extends from the Mississippi River near downtown Baton Rouge to the Amite River. In the St. George area, it generally runs along Tiger Bend Road from Airline Highway (Highway 61) to the Amite River. The height of the escarpment ranges from 4 to 7 meters. The average rate of vertical movement is about 3–5 mm/year. [85] The fault has had a particularly pronounced effect near the Jones Creek Road-Tiger Bend Road intersection. [85] Continuous structural repairs to Woodlawn High School buildings located at that intersection forced the abandonment of the property and the building of a new school complex in Old Jefferson—the first new campus that the school board built in the parish in more than thirty years. [86] In 2017, several residents from the Tiger Bend area raised concerns [87] about plans for an upscale subdivision located near the fault line. [88]

Geomorphology

A Pleistocene prairie terrace, formed of alluvial deposits and wind-blown soil (Peoria loess), underlies most of East Baton Rouge Parish. [89] [84] In the St. George area, long slopes along portions of Highland Road can be seen where the prairie terrace meets the Mississippi River floodplain. [90] Visitors to the LSU Hilltop Arboretum, for example, must drive up the slope to enter the facility.

Demographics

Map showing the location of the six census designated places to be included in the city of St. George Census Designated Places to be included in city of St. George, Louisiana.jpg
Map showing the location of the six census designated places to be included in the city of St. George

St. George has a population of 86,316 within its proposed city limits. [2] The White population is expected to make up more than 70% of the population [91] while the Black population would comprise approximately 12% of the population. [92]

The proposed City of St. George would include six of the seven Census Designated Places (CDPs) south of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish:

The seventh CDP, majority-minority Gardere, voted against joining the new city.

Parks and recreation

The St. George area is served by the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). [93] Park facilities in the St. George area include the Burbank Soccer Complex, the Highland Road Community Park, Highland Road Park Observatory and Airline Highway Park.

LSU Hilltop Arboretum Pond at LSU Hilltop Arboretum.jpg
LSU Hilltop Arboretum

Through BREC's Capital Area Pathways Project (CAPP), a network of connected trails and greenways is being developed throughout the parish. [94] BREC's Blueways initiative provides paddling access to Bayou Fountain from Highland Road Community Park. Additional canoe-kayak launches are planned for Bayou Manchac and Ward Creek. [95]

The LSU Hilltop Arboretum is a 14-acre museum showcasing an extensive collection of Louisiana native trees and shrubs. It includes a pond with an elevated wooden boardwalk and trails through more than 150 species of Southern native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. A new feature is a wildflower meadow with an earthen amphitheater. [96] A historic marker near the pond helps to identify the route of pioneering Philadelphia naturalist William Bartram (1739–1823) through eight southern states, including Louisiana. [97]

Education

Proposed school district

The incorporation effort for St. George began with a goal of creating a new school district independent of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. [98] [3]

To form a new school district, however, the new city must first be established. [99] So a new school district was not on the petition or ballot for the formation of the City of St. George. [100] [22]

The process for establishing a new school district in the St. George area would require several steps: [101]

All of these steps would need to occur before a new school district could be formed.

Student population

A 2017 U.S. Census survey concluded that there were more than 16,300 children in St. George census tracts, 7,700 of whom attended private schools. Although the proposed school district boundaries and current city limits ultimately may not completely overlap, it appears that 44% of the public school students within the new school district would be black, 35% white, 10% Asian American, and 10% Hispanic under current trends. [91]

Creating a new school district could potentially lead to the transfer of more than 3,000 students into or out of St. George. [105]

As of March 2018, approximately 5,237 students live in the proposed school district. [105] Of these, approximately 2,779 students (53%) attend schools in the proposed St. George school district. But some of the students in the proposed school district attend schools outside of St. George. They include 1,328 students who attend magnet schools and another 568 students who attend gifted and talented programs. Because they reside in St. George, these students would have to leave their current school and transfer to a school in St. George.

Conversely, approximately 1,374 students live outside of St. George but attend school there. These students would likewise have to leave their current school in St. George and attend school elsewhere.

A cooperative agreement between the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and the St. George school system could address this concern and allow students to attend school in either district. [105]

The Highland Road Park Observatory is jointly operated by Louisiana State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society and the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). It is located in Highland Road Community Park. Highland Road Park Observatory.jpg
The Highland Road Park Observatory is jointly operated by Louisiana State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society and the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge (BREC). It is located in Highland Road Community Park.

Informal education

Facilities in the St. George area [78] that provide opportunities for informal education include:

Transportation

There are no east–west roads that run through the entire duration of the proposed city limits. However, Interstate 10, U.S. Highway 61 (a major north–south highway that links Wyoming, Minnesota, to New Orleans), and the Old Jefferson Highway (a once-major north–south highway that links Winnipeg, Canada to New Orleans) pass through the center of St. George in a north–south direction. The CDP of Old Jefferson is named for its proximity to the old Jefferson Highway.

The Capital Area Transit System (CATS) has only a limited presence in the St. George area. [106] Currently the new city has no intentions of expanding CATS' services within the new city limits. [107]

Economy

The economy of the St. George area is an integral part of the Baton Rouge economy, the East Baton Rouge Parish economy and the Baton Rouge MSA.[ citation needed ]

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