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Can the Baton Rouge region become more economically competitive with St. George?
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:21 am
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:21 am
Right now, the city/parish has a good credit rating and sees regular net positive (if low) growth. That growth seems to be largely concentrated in areas where there's space to build/expand - Zachary, Central, and unincorporated East Baton Rouge. In the future, a big part of the unincorporated area that sees that growth will be in another city but still within East Baton Rouge- St. George.
If the city/parish can expand on the successful redevelopment of the downtown business district AND St. George can establish a successful and competitive school district, would the capital area be more economically competitive?
All things being equal, an attractive and affordable place to live with good public services (in particular, good schools) closer to the major employment centers would certainly help indirectly fight the sprawl that seems to move farther and farther down I-12 and I-10.
Would a good St. George school district also make the Baton Rouge area more economically competitive for corporate re-locations - especially if the city of Baton Rouge can continue building on their successful redevelopment of downtown and if LSU improves itself?
If the city/parish can expand on the successful redevelopment of the downtown business district AND St. George can establish a successful and competitive school district, would the capital area be more economically competitive?
All things being equal, an attractive and affordable place to live with good public services (in particular, good schools) closer to the major employment centers would certainly help indirectly fight the sprawl that seems to move farther and farther down I-12 and I-10.
Would a good St. George school district also make the Baton Rouge area more economically competitive for corporate re-locations - especially if the city of Baton Rouge can continue building on their successful redevelopment of downtown and if LSU improves itself?
6
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:25 am to member12
Pretty sure quite the opposite is going to happen.
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:28 am to member12
if the crybabies in BR city government would think about growth instead of abstract concepts like equity, yes. the BR area would finally have a place where people can send their kids to public school (eventually). that alone would be a major positive for EBR. you're never going to be a place companies will locate under the current paradigm
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:32 am to member12
Can it? Yes.
Will it? Not with the current leadership in Baton Rouge.
There are a number of factors screwing EBR as a whole, which also affects neighboring parishes.
1. Schools - The horrid state of EBRPSS means that a lot of new businesses are hesitant to move to BR or, if they do, they specifically tell their employees with families to move to Zachary, Central, Livingston, or Ascension.
Fixing BR schools to where they are competent alleviates a lot of the issues.
2. Legal environment - As a post in the last week or two showed, Louisiana is near the bottom of national rankings for legal environment along with California, Illinois, and Mississippi, and they don’t have the economic powerhouses that California and Illinois have to offset those issues.
There are limits as to what can be done about this at the local level other than electing better judges or trying to retrain the population that the first step in an accident isn’t One Call That’s All.
3. Taxes - This is the big one because sales taxes in BR are among the highest in the nation thanks to the permanent tax increase pushed by JBE a few years back.
High sales tax combined with taxes on everything else make it hard to stay profitable enough to remain in BR.
This is a mix of state and local, though, as a good chunk of the problem is the high state sales tax in addition to other taxes like on inventory. The locals could help fix this through reforming taxes and cutting spending but it ain’t gonna happen.
Will it? Not with the current leadership in Baton Rouge.
There are a number of factors screwing EBR as a whole, which also affects neighboring parishes.
1. Schools - The horrid state of EBRPSS means that a lot of new businesses are hesitant to move to BR or, if they do, they specifically tell their employees with families to move to Zachary, Central, Livingston, or Ascension.
Fixing BR schools to where they are competent alleviates a lot of the issues.
2. Legal environment - As a post in the last week or two showed, Louisiana is near the bottom of national rankings for legal environment along with California, Illinois, and Mississippi, and they don’t have the economic powerhouses that California and Illinois have to offset those issues.
There are limits as to what can be done about this at the local level other than electing better judges or trying to retrain the population that the first step in an accident isn’t One Call That’s All.
3. Taxes - This is the big one because sales taxes in BR are among the highest in the nation thanks to the permanent tax increase pushed by JBE a few years back.
High sales tax combined with taxes on everything else make it hard to stay profitable enough to remain in BR.
This is a mix of state and local, though, as a good chunk of the problem is the high state sales tax in addition to other taxes like on inventory. The locals could help fix this through reforming taxes and cutting spending but it ain’t gonna happen.
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:41 am to member12
quote:
Can the Baton Rouge region become more economically competitive with St. George?
Right now, the city/parish has a good credit rating and sees regular net positive (if low) growth. That growth seems to be largely concentrated in areas where there's space to build/expand - Zachary, Central, and unincorporated East Baton Rouge. In the future, a big part of the unincorporated area that sees that growth will be in another city but still within East Baton Rouge- St. George.
If the city/parish can expand on the successful redevelopment of the downtown business district AND St. George can establish a successful and competitive school district, would the capital area be more economically competitive?
All things being equal, an attractive and affordable place to live with good public services (in particular, good schools) closer to the major employment centers would certainly help indirectly fight the sprawl that seems to move farther and farther down I-12 and I-10.
Would a good St. George school district also make the Baton Rouge area more economically competitive for corporate re-locations - especially if the city of Baton Rouge can continue building on their successful redevelopment of downtown and if LSU improves itself?
I have have beaten this drum over and over.
EBR can prosper if SG prospers.It's not one or the other.
I wish BR the best. I wish SG the best. Central, Baker and Zachary too.
Our consolidated system of govt. has us all in the same boat. Yes, we sleep in different cabins, but most of our local services come from the same kitchen.
Schools is where the biggest difference will be IF the SG ISD comes to pass. But school systems can and do thrive if left alone. That will be the key.
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:53 am to member12
quote:
Right now, the city/parish has a good credit rating and sees regular net positive (if low) growth.
Baton Rouge is in the Top 5 most overleveraged cities in the nation According to JP Morgan.
BR Business Report 2017
quote:
some 52% of city-parish dollars are obligated to pay for unfunded pension liabilities, retiree healthcare costs, and general bonded debt for programs like the city-parish’s sewer system upgrade.
quote:
Over the next 30 years, the city-parish, in a worst-case scenario, will have to either increases taxes by 24%, cut non-pension spending by 20% or increase worker contributions to the system by 525% in order to meet its obligations.
quote:
The report gives Baton Rouge—the only Louisiana city on the list—a debt risk indicator of 90, which is based on its debt ratio and other factors that mitigate or compound fiscal challenges, such as revenues and population growth. Only four cities have higher debt risk indicators than Baton Rouge—Chicago, Houston, Austin and Dallas.
East Baton Rouge would do better to help St. George succeed. If they keep up with the underhanded bullshite, they're doomed.
This post was edited on 10/14/19 at 10:02 am
Posted on 10/14/19 at 9:57 am to member12
Of course IT COULD but SWB and her ilk are still breathing so...........
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