It’s full steam ahead for the people of Watson. Over the next few weeks, the Livingston Parish community north of Denham Springs will begin circulating a petition seeking a people’s vote on whether to form their own incorporated city. If they are able to gather 3,000 certified signatures by July, the referendum could be on the Oct. 19 ballot. Gene Baker of Neighbors in Action—the grassroots organization behind the initiative—tells Daily Report nearly 300 people braved the rain to attend a community gathering last week, expressing a 3-to-1 consensus in favor of incorporation. Proposed city boundaries would incorporate roughly 35 square miles between Amite Church Road and the St. Helena Parish line, taking in 22,000 residents—twice as many as Denham Springs and three times that of Walker. Details as to how the municipal government would function and be funded will be hammered out after the vote. Baker says Neighbors in Action is opposed to upping taxes, instead favoring a small franchise fee tacked onto electrical bills from Entergy and DEMCO to fund the most basic expenses. Current discussions favor utilizing existing law enforcement, fire protection, education and other services funded through parish millages already in place. The goal, Baker says, is simply to give Watson greater control over its own destiny when it comes to outside initiatives, such as the Baton Rouge loop and federally subsidized housing developments—two issues it continues to fight. “We want minimum government,” he says. “We just want to have a voice.” —Penny Font
Today’s poll question: Do you support Watson becoming its own incorporated city?
