City of St. George, Louisiana
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14100 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70817

Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 4:30 pm                                                                      AGENDA

TRANSITION DISTRICT MEMBERS

Norman Browning – appointed by statute

Chris Rials – appointed by statute

J. Andrew Murrell – Sen. Rick Edmonds appointee

Jim Talbot – Rep. Emily Chenevert appointee

William Potter - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome appointee

 Live-Stream                Facebook Live                     Public Comment:  Drew.Murrell@stgeorgela.net

  1. Call to Order – Chairman J. Andrew Murrell
  2. Roll Call and General Announcements –J. Andrew Murrell
  3. Pledge of Allegiance – Chairman J. Andrew Murrell
  4. Public Comment
    1. Allowed following each Old Business and New Business agenda item
    1. Duration to be set by Transition District Chairman J. Andrew Murrell
  5. Approval of Meeting Agenda
    1. Meeting Minutes from June 25th and 27th, 2024 to be approved and signed
  6. Honorees and Education
    1. Jennifer Richardson of Keep Tiger Town Beautiful will speak about litter abatement and suggestions for how St. George can clean up.

2024-008   Request for Qualifications to contractors to bid on providing city services to residents and businesses, and the establishment of a committee to evaluate RFQ proposals and recommend contractor to provide city services.

                  (Set for public hearing on July 24, 2024)

2024-009   Protocol for approving and paying invoices.

                  (Set for public hearing on July 24, 2024)

                  2024-009 Approval and Payment of Invoices.docx

2024-010   Public Records Request Protocol

                  (Set for public hearing on July 24, 2024)

                  2024-010 Public Records Request.docx

2024-011    St. George Transition District to authorize the district to be added as a plaintiff in the matter of Norman Browning and Chris Rials vs. City of Baton Rouge, and the Metropolitan Council for the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, 19th Judicial District Court for East Baton Rouge Parish, Docket No. 693763, Division 26

                  (Set for public hearing on July 24, 2024)

                  Petition

2024-003   That the St. George Transition District shall maintain an office within the parish at St. George City Hall located at 14100 Airline Highway, St. George, LA 70817 pursuant to a cooperative endeavor agreement.

Intergovernmental Agreement re CSG Lease (JAM Edit).docx

2024-005   That the St. George Transition District adopt an official seal and alter the same at its pleasure.

                  Seal

2024-006   That the Advocate shall be selected at the official journal for publication of notices required by law.

  1. Reports
    1. None

ST. GEORGE TRANSITION DISTRICT

14100 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70817

TRANSITION DISTRICT MEMBERS

Norman Browning – Chairman St. George Incorporation

Chris Rials – Vice-Chairman St. George Incorporation

Dustin Yates – Sen. Bodi White appointee

J. Andrew Murrell – Rep. Rick Edmonds appointee

Not appointed - Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome appointee

Monday, April 11, 2022                                                                                 Regular Meeting

The St. George Transition District meeting will be held in the St. George Fire Department Conference Room located at 14100 Airline Hwy, Baton Rouge, LA 70817 starting at 4:00 p.m.

Live-Stream     To be established.

Public Comment:  stgla@outlook.com

I. Call to Order – President Dustin Yates

II. Roll Call and General Announcements – Secretary, J. Andrew Murrell

III. Pledge of Allegiance – President Dustin Yates

IV. Public Comment

Allowed following each Old Business and New Business agenda item

Duration to be set by Transition District President Dustin Yates

V. Approval of Meeting Agenda

Meeting Minutes from this meeting to be approved and signed

VI. Honorees and Education

VII. Introductions

  1. Authorizing the St. George Transition District to create five (5) city council districts, three (3) of which will be specific districts and two (2) will be at-large districts.

Introduce for public hearing/meeting on April 25, 2022

2. Authorize the St. George Transition District to enter into Cooperative Endeavor Agreements with East Baton Rouge Parish to remain a part of the current and existing parish-wide services: Animal Control, Mosquito Abatement, and trash/waste.

Introduce for public hearing/meeting on April 25, 2022

3. Authorizing the St. George Transition District to create the three (3) specific city council districts pursuant to the requirements established by Federal and State law.

Introduce for public hearing/meeting on May 23, 2022

VIII. New Business

4.   Authorization to adopt the City of St. George Logo as shown in the header for the Agenda.

IX. Reports

None

X. Staff Reports

None

XI. Executive Session

None

XII. Adjournment

The City of St. George Transition District Bill, SB423, was signed into law by Governor Edwards on June 12, 2020. The St. George Transition District creates a framework for the transition of taxing authority and services from East Baton Rouge Parish to the City of St. George.

You can read the law (signed by the governor) here.

“Legislators in both the House and Senate as well as the Governor recognized the results of the October 12, 2019 when the citizens voted to incorporate the City of St. George. The St. George Transition District is vital to ensure that St. George tax dollars stay in St. George during this transition. This is further proof that the City of St. George will work with local government to make East Baton Rouge Parish better,”

-Andrew Murrell, City of St. George Spokesperson

What the law does:

  1. It establishes the Transition District Board of Directors. This Board of Directors can negotiate on behalf of the city. The St. George Transition District authorizes a board of directors to execute contracts, intergovernmental agreements, and cooperative endeavors.
  2. It protects the 2% sales tax currently being collected. St. George Transition District will transfer the existing taxing authority for the two percent sales and use tax from East Baton Rouge Parish to the City of St. George while maintaining essential city services. EBR is required to provide these services at this time.
  3. Once the lawsuit is resolved, the taxing authority will transfer to this district until we can have a municipal election to formally approve the tax. This is not a new tax. It is the existing tax currently collected by East Baton Rouge Parish that will be transferred to the City of St. GeorgeThis law ensures that the city has money to operate once we win the lawsuit.

In short, The St. George Transition District is the bridge for services and taxing authority during the transition from East Baton Rouge Parish to the City of St. George.

What the law does NOT do:

  1. It  does NOT provide immediate access to the 2% sales tax revenue. The district will only have access to these dollars once the lawsuit is settled. 
  2. It does NOT do away with the lawsuit. Unfortunately, we still have to go through the legal process, unless or until we reach a negotiated settlement or win in the courts.
  3. It does NOT provide revenue to pay the legal fees for the lawsuit. It is important to remember that the city is not being sued. Our dedicated chairmen, Norm Browning and Chris Rials, are the named defendants. They continue to need our support and prayers in their endeavor. Please consider making a contribution, if possible.

Stay informed on what's next for St. George.

City of St. George leaders Chris Rials (vice-chairman of the committee) and Andrew Murrell (official spokesperson) recently presented the facts behind the push for the creation of the City of St. George to the Greater Baton Rouge Civic Association membership.  Below are links to the presentation points and the supporting data.  We open ask for you to fact check our data and contact us if you disagree with it.

GBR Civic Association Presentation

Supporting Documentation

Still have questions?  Send an email to stgla@outlook.com or fill out the Contact Us form here and someone will respond to you as quickly as possible.

 On October 12th, Vote YES For St. George.  Going to be out of town or at the LSU game on October 12th?  Early Voting starts on Saturday, September 28th and runs through Saturday, October 5th (except on Sunday, September 29th).  Early voting hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Click here for a list of early voting locations.

CITY OF ST. GEORGE BUDGET RELEASED. NO TAX INCREASE NEEDED.

Prior to the launch of the petition, the organizers of the City of St. George commissioned Carr, Riggs and Ingram LLC, one of the top municipal accounting firms in the South, to evaluate the revenue, expenditures, and budget for the proposed City of St. George and produce a report that detailed the financial viability of the proposed city and the fiscal impact on the General Fund.

The report clearly states that the City of St. George would operate with a surplus and would not have to raise taxes. The report also indicates that the impact to the General Fund would be manageable and not catastrophic, despite comments made by the Mayor’s office.

The City of St. George: 
The City of St. George would be financially viable with an estimated General Fund budget surplus in year 1 of $24.5 million (42% of Budgeted General Fund Revenues). First-year revenues are budgeted at $58.4 million, and expenditures are budgeted at $33.9 million, including $4.0 million of discretionary additional police expenditures.   

Consolidated Baton Rouge Government:
The incorporation of the City of St. George would result in a manageable General Fund operating deficit of $28.9 million (or 9% of General Fund revenues) to the Consolidated Baton Rouge Government’s General Fund budget.    Such amount should not result in an increase in taxes and could be minimized during the incorporation transition period, which is expected to take two to three years, by normal employee attrition and retirement, and/or a reduction in the scope and related costs of vendor/professional contracts that provide services no longer needed or needed at a reduced level.

A copy of the budget and report can be found here: http://bit.ly/2oPiFRw