In news shocking to exactly no one, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber and its board of directors decided an independent city of St. George should not be a thing.
The foundational reason for BRAC’s opposition stems from less than complete budget numbers put forth earlier by organizers of the St. George incorporation effort, writes Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball in his latest column.
“Yet the BRAC board takes it a step further, tossing out a litany of wonkish numbers that essentially translates into skepticism that a St. George independent school district could successfully operate without a hike in property taxes,” Ball writes. “More troubling than the school district numbers, says BRAC, is a projected school district budget doesn’t seem to exist—at least not one available for public viewing.”
Ball writes that a school district budget is a reasonable request, especially since the genesis of the entire St. George movement is the desire to break free from the low-rated East Baton Rouge public school system. The problem isn’t what people are paying in school-related property taxes, but what they get in return, he says.
“BRAC’s most interesting argument, however, focuses on the notion of “the greater good,” saying the creation of an independent city ‘would weaken and threaten the combined form of city-parish government,’” Ball writes.
Here’s his question, though: Why scream out about this with St. George while staying silent about the (numerous) things already weakening Baton Rouge?
“You tell me, when’s the last time BRAC or its board took a position against the independent taxing authority enjoyed by BREC or the library system?” Ball asks.
Read the full column. Send your comments to editor@businessreport.com
