St. George is a proposed city in Louisiana that was approved in a ballot initiative on October 12, 2019. Upon incorporation, it would become the fifth largest city in Louisiana and the second largest in East Baton Rouge Parish with a population of 86,316. The proposed city originates from a previously unincorporated area of East Baton Rouge Parish located southeast of the City of Baton Rouge.
A legal action to challenge the incorporation of St. George was filed in 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish on November 4, 2019.
On May 31, 2022, Judge pro tem Martin Coady ruled that the incorporation of St. George was "unreasonable" under state law and denied the incorporation.
On July 14, 2023, the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that the petition to incorporate St. George did not meet state requirements for incorporation because it lacked a "sufficient plan."
Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal
The First Circuit Court ruling on July 14, 2023, included the following judgements:
Insufficient Plan."We affirm the June 13, 2022 judgment of the trial court denying the incorporation," the First Circuit Court said, "because the petition failed to comply with the requirements of La. R.S. 33:1(A)(4)." (p. 25) This section includes the following requirement: A listing of the public services the municipal corporation proposes to render to the area and a plan for the provision of these services. The court said that "although the petition listed the services that would be provided, the petition did not provide ... a plan for the provision of those services." (p. 25) The court also held that a statement in the petition that “services will be provided subject to the availability of funds derived from taxes, license fees, permits, and other revenue which becomes available to the municipality and are authorized by state law' does not constitute a plan for the provision of those services as required by La. R.S. 33:1." (p. 25) Lack of Standing. The court determined that one of the plaintiffs, Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broom, did not have standing and was dismissed from the lawsuit (pp. 2 and 25). Dismissal of Other Issues. Because the petition was deemed to be out of compliance with the requirements, the court held that any discussion of other issues ("including the alleged unreasonableness of the incorporation and the alleged adverse impact on the City of Baton Rouge") would not be considered (p. 25).
A spokesman for the City of St. George said the matter would be appealed to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Until the litigation is resolved and appeals exhausted, the Governor of Louisiana is unable to appoint a temporary governing authority (i.e., mayor and city council) for the proposed city. Consequently, the St. George incorporation effort remains in "legal limbo".
19th Judicial Court
The May 31, 2022 ruling by the 19th Judicial Court was based on state law governing "Legal action contesting an incorporation":If the district court determines that the provisions of this Subpart have not been complied with, that the proposed municipality will not be able to provide the public services proposed in the petition within a reasonable period of time, or that the incorporation is unreasonable, the district court shall enter an order denying the incorporation. La. R.S. 33:4(E)(2)(a)The judgment addressed five issues presented at trial: