GOP Backs St. George

The effort to incorporate the proposed City of St. George (pop. 107,000) has picked up a new ally ­ ­— the Republican Party of the East Baton Rouge Parish.
The GOP has announ-ced its endorsement of efforts to put the proposed incorporation on the election ballot.  St. George leader Norman Browning said his group is aiming for a public referendum on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, the same day as U.S. Senate and Congress.  The Republican Parish Executive Committee voted to support placing incorporation before voters.
In a statement, the GOP said,  “Hundreds of volunteers have been working for months to secure 18,000 signatures on a petition to call an election on incorporation.”
“The pro-St. George movement has demonstrated important points that every citizen should consider:  “St. George is the fastest growing area of the parish, except Central.  Yet, its infrastructure has been neglected for decades.”
“With 107,000 residents, St. George could be the 5th largest city in Louisiana and control an annual budget of more than $52 million.  Yet, the reality today is that the tax dollars collected in St. George are not being spent there.  Rather, these tax dollars are shipped to the City of Baton Rouge where they are spent.”
“The irony is that the citizens of St. George are paying taxes to support a city but it’s not their city.  It’s the City of Baton Rouge.”
“The City-Parish budget shows $82 million collected in the unincorporated areas of the parish.  Of those funds, $17 million is used to pay 100 percent of the expenses of constitutional offices in the parish, such as the 19th Judicial District Courts and the District Attorney.  St. George residents don’t pay their share of parishwide expenses for constitutional offices.  Instead, they pay 100 percent of the cost of these constitutional offices!  Residents of Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary, and Central pay zero toward the cost of the court system.  This an amazing and possibly illegal arrangement that unduly burdens the citizens of one area of the parish and requires them to pay a burden that should rightfully be shared among all the citizens.”
“Another $12 million collected in St. George is used to pay 100 percent of the cost of other parishwide offices, such as the Parish Prison and Animal Control.  Again, 100 percent of the expenses of these governmental agencies are paid by taxes collected in the unincorporated areas of the parish.  These expenses should be assessed parishwide.  The people in St. George should not have to pay 100 percent of the cost of the Parish Prison and Animal Control, but they do now!”
“Incorporation would allow St. George residents to control Planning & Zoning in their area.”
“If St. George follows the lead of the City of Central and privatizes city government, the cost of running the City of St. George would be kept to a minimum, and there would be no reason to raise taxes.”
The Republican Party said it will be working more closely with leaders of the St. George movement, in order to help get the proposal on the ballot, so that it can be more fully discussed by the electorate.