Though many saw it coming, there was something of a collective pause on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 13, when Baton Rouge woke up, fresh off the LSU Tigers’ momentous victory over Florida, and realized that after all the talk, social media rancor and flurry of campaign activity, the effort to incorporate the city of St. George had been approved by voters in the proposed municipality by a solid 54%-46%.
For better or worse, the city of St. George—a 60-square-mile area carved out from a mostly white, middle class and affluent part of unincorporated East Baton Rouge Parish—was no longer a threat or a promise but a reality.
However one felt about St. George, there was something stunning about that realization, and Baton Rouge would never be the same.
The incorporation vote left a storm of questions in its wake. How would the city-parish legally fight the incorporation? How would city leaders deal with the loss of St. George tax dollars? Would the consolidated form of city-parish government still make sense with five cities in the East Baton Rouge parish?
St. George organizers argue they can be the rising tide that lifts all ships, that their suburban hamlet will attract young families and new businesses that will buoy the fortunes of the parish. It’s a plausible argument, but what will be the long term impact on the rest of the parish?
It may well take years—if not decades—to learn the answer. If history is any indication—think back to the 30-year school desegregation lawsuit—Baton Rouge is in for a long, legal battle.
Read the full cover story about what happens now that the St. George effort to incorporate has become a reality from the Oct. 22 edition of Business Report.
