​​St. George City Council to vote on Home Rule Charter

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    At its Tuesday meeting, the St. George City Council introduced a resolution to call an election to adopt or reject a proposed Home Rule Charter.

    The council will vote on the proposed charter at its Nov. 12 meeting following a public hearing. If approved by the council, the charter will go before voters on the city’s March 27 ballot.

    The City Council appointed an 11-member Home Rule Charter Commission in August to study the governance models of successful municipalities and develop St. George’s Home Rule Charter in accordance with its findings. The commission has met six times thus far.

    “The goal of the Home Rule Charter Commission is to recommend a governance model to position St. George for success and establish St. George as a model city among our peers,” a statement from the city reads.

    More specifically, the commission’s stated goal is to develop a charter that “emphasizes less government and more accountability to the taxpayers.”

    While the proposed Home Rule Charter is not yet available to review in full, the Home Rule Charter Commission’s meeting minutes offer some insight into what the document will ultimately look like.

    Notably, the commission decided “early on” that a council-manager form of government rather than a mayor-council form of government was appropriate for St. George.

    Under a council-manager form of government, a chief elected official (e.g., mayor) and an elected council are responsible for developing policy while a professional manager runs day-to-day operations. Under a mayor-council form of government, a chief elected official serves as the head of government and possesses significant administrative authority while an elected council serves as a legislative body. Baton Rouge currently uses a “strong mayor” mayor-council form of government.

    Baton Rouge voters will decide on Nov. 5 whether to adopt a council-manager form of government when they vote on a set of sweeping Plan of Government changes.

    The St. George City Council and the St. George Transition District both meet biweekly at the St. George Fire Department. See a full calendar here.