ST. GEORGE - St. George's emergency meeting Thursday resulted in an unanimous vote to set a Dec. 7 election allowing St. George to take control of a 2% sales tax.

The meeting followed another emergency meeting Monday where the St. George Transition District voted, requesting the East Baton Rouge government transfer 2% of sales tax revenue. If the tax transfer was approved, St. George could land nearly $50 million in sales tax from East Baton Rouge. 

Despite requests to the East Baton Rouge Metro Council, city-parish officials insist they’ve not been in contact with St. George officials. Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome said there had been no conversations with the administration about providing services to the citizens of St. George.

“I will work diligently and cooperatively with the representatives of St. George to find a correct balance that is fair to everyone in our parish, ensures that services to citizens are not interrupted, [sic] and that tax dollars are not wasted,” Broome said in a statement Thursday. 

St. George Mayor Dustin Yates responded to the claim that there’s been little communication between the two cities. He says Thursday afternoon he and Mayor Broome spoke, and he hopes to move forward with the citizens’ best interest in mind.

“Those conversations are being had, and up to this point, they’ve been palatable and cordial,” Yates said. “I can only expect that they’ll continue that way. At the end of the day, we all live in the same parish. We all want the same things. We want a great government. We want safe streets for our children and our families and we want a great place to live.”