From the failed incorporation effort for a new City of St. George and the closure of Baton Rouge General Medical Center’s Mid City emergency room to the groundbreaking on The Water Campus and a wild election cycle, 2015 was an eventful year in the Baton Rouge business community.
Business Report was there to cover it all, and the magazine has compiled a rundown of its top 10 business stories from the past year in a feature from the current issue.
It was back in March that the Registrar of Voters office declared that nearly 2,700 of the roughly 18,000 signatures on the petition to incorporate the City of St. George were invalid, giving supporters 60 days to make up the difference. Petitioners, led by Norman Browning and Lionel Rainey, brought back 4,600 more signatures, but opponents turned in waves of forms from people withdrawing their pledges.
In the end, the drive fell just 71 signatures short of the 17,859 needed to put the measure on the ballot. A judge swiftly tossed a lawsuit challenging the registrar’s findings. By law, St. George supporters must wait two years until they can take up the cause again.
This year’s budget battle dominated headlines during the three month legislative session that wrapped up on June 11. Faced with a massive $1.6 billion shortfall for the looming fiscal year, Gov. Bobby Jindal challenged lawmakers to plug the state’s budget deficit without technically raising taxes. While higher education was largely saved, business took a huge hit.
Legislators raised some $700 million in revenue, mostly by rolling back a host of business tax incentives. The measures drew swift condemnation—and court challenges—from business leaders across the Capital Region.
It was also back in March that Baton Rouge General shuttered its Mid City emergency room amid losses of $2 million per month. In more recent months, the hospital laid out ambitious long-term plans for its Mid City and Bluebonnet campuses. Mid City is being envisioned as a revamped specialty hospital, while officials want to develop land around Bluebonnet to create a mixed-use style development centered around concepts of healthy living in concert with the Baton Rouge Health District master plan.
See the complete rundown of the top local business headlines from 2015, which includes the controversy over a proposed barge cleaning facility, as well as plummeting oil prices, the departure of two major company’s headquarters and more.
And be sure to check out the best quotes in Baton Rouge business and politics from the past year, also featured in the current issue of Business Report. The magazine also takes a look at 10 things Baton Rouge lost in 2015. Send your comments to editors@businessreport.com.
