A group of wealthy white Baton Rouge residents have won a decades-long battle to split from the majority-black city to form their own suburb following a state Supreme Court ruling.
After reversing a lower court’s decision on Friday, the Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in favor of the incorporation of St. George, which will form in southeast Baton Rouge.
“This is the culmination of citizens exercising their constitutional rights. We voted and we won,” Andrew Murrell, one of the leaders of the St. George campaign, said in a statement following the victory.
“Now we begin the process of delivering on our promises of a better city,” he added. “We welcome both our friends and foes to the table to create St. George.”
Much like the case with Central — the last incorporated city to be born in East Baton Rouge Parish — the St. George initiative began with hopes of residents starting a new school district before ultimately deciding to create their own city.
Although the St. George supporters failed to garner enough votes in 2015, four years later, the initiative won the election before it was stalled by a lengthy court battle, the New York Times reported.
Sharon Weston Broome, the mayor-president leading the combined Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish governments, had sued the St. George organizers, arguing that the split would siphon more than $48 million in annual tax revenue from the local government.
The opposition also argued that St. George would not have the proper budget to operate on its own.
Justice William J. Crain, the author of the majority opinion, disagreed with the city’s assessment and claimed that a thriving St. George could even become an asset to the declining Baton Rouge.
Despite her longstanding position, Broome conceded the battle on Friday following the Supreme Court’s ruling.
The NAACP, however, maintained its fears that the formation of St. George will negatively impact Baton Rouge’s majority black community.
“The St. George plan poses significant risks to our education system, threatens the continuity of critical programs, and challenges community representation,” the local chapter of the NAACP said in a statement Monday. “The creation of a new municipality introduces considerable uncertainty around funding allocation for our schools, jeopardizing the cornerstone of our community’s future: education.”
During a news conference Monday at the St. George Fire Department headquarters, Murrell promised the residents that the new city’s officials will work to finally set up a new school district as he acknowledged the challenges to come.
“Number one, we created a city. We have not created a school district,” Murrell said. “They are two distinct separate animals. They have separate budgets, separate leadership structures.
“But I would be dishonest if I didn’t tell you what’s next on the agenda would be the creation of the St. George school district, which is long overdue in a parish that is near dead last in a state that is near dead last in the country in education,” he added.
Before the new government can get started, however, Gov. Jeff Landry must appoint the city’s first mayor and city council members.
Residents will vote for their new leaders in the next election cycle, according to the city’s website.
