St. George officials tell St. Tammany Charter panel their rapid Home Rule charter process focused on professional management and privatization

Council members from the City of St. George told the St. Tammany Parish Home Rule Charter Review Committee on March 27 that St. George’s recently completed Home Rule Charter emphasizes a council‑manager form of government, limits on taxation, privatization of routine services where feasible and automatic periodic review of the charter.

The presentation was framed as practical advice: presenters described St. George’s Home Rule Charter Commission as an 11‑member body that drafted a charter in about four months, held multiple public meetings and unanimously approved the document before sending it to voters. A presenter identified in meeting remarks as the Home Rule Charter Commission chair said the commission chose a council‑manager model in part to provide professional management, continuity and clearer accountability for local services.

St. George officials stressed why they favored the council‑manager model over a strong mayor model. The presenters said a professionally appointed city manager prepares the budget and oversees day‑to‑day operations while the mayor focuses on economic development and public leadership. "A city manager will be qualified to do it, professionally qualified, paid to do it," the commission chair said during the presentation. He added the council could then exercise review and veto powers as an additional check on the executive.

Presenters described specifics in their charter and governance choices: St. George plans for seven council members (five district seats and two at‑large), council pay by ordinance at $36,000 per year, a full‑time mayor position (the presenters said the mayor salary was set by ordinance at about $160,000), and an intention to keep direct city staff small — "less than 20" full‑time municipal employees — while contracting out many maintenance and operational services. They said the city’s principal dedicated revenue source is a 2% sales tax.

The presenters said St. George used outside consultants during drafting and outreach, which they estimated cost roughly $40,000–$50,000. They also described adding a charter provision that any future increase in city taxes must be referred to voters, and an automatic requirement that a new Home Rule Charter Commission be convened every 10 years after the census to review the charter.

The presenters described practical pitfalls. They urged extensive public engagement to avoid perceptions that citizens were excluded, recommended not putting council salaries into the charter (instead leaving pay to ordinance), and warned that simultaneous candidate races can make the charter a campaign issue. They also recounted relying heavily on a private contractor (named in the presentation) to run initial city operations while revenues were being transferred to the new city.

Public and committee members asked questions about St. George’s population, projected revenues and how services such as law enforcement would be provided. Presenters said St. George’s estimated population is roughly 86,000–90,000; projected annual revenue once collections begin was described as about $65 million with projected expenses under $30 million. The presenters said St. George deliberately prohibited creation of a municipal police department in its charter and instead relies on the parish sheriff and district attorney for law enforcement and prosecution, while planning to invest in equipment or substations to improve local responses.

Committee members and residents raised concerns about the tradeoffs of privatizing functions such as permitting or inspections; one audience member and a committee member warned of risks where private inspection programs had failed in other municipalities.

The presentation closed after audience Q&A and the committee thanked the St. George representatives for traveling to present their experience.

Ending

The St. George presentation provided the committee with a working example of a recently drafted Home Rule Charter to consider as the panel begins its review of St. Tammany Parish’s charter options. Committee members said they would use aspects of the St. George experience — public outreach, provisions for charter review, choice of government form and careful budgeting — as they examine parish proposals.