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Plan of Government
In 1947, the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish voted to establish a consolidated City-Parish government. The Plan of Government laid out the organization of the new combined governing body; it defines zoning, division of responsibilities, and jurisdictions.
Overview
The Plan of Government has been amended at least 17 times since it went into effect in 1949. Its 11 sections include:
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Chapter 1 General Provision
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Chapter 2 Governing Bodies
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Chapter 3 Governing Bodies Powers and Duties
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Chapter 4 Mayor President
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Chapter 5 Department of Public Works
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Chapter 6 Police Department
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Chapter 7 Fire Department
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Chapter 8 Finance
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Chapter 9 Personnel
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Chapter 10 Planning and Zoning
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Chapter 11 Miscellaneous
PLAN OF GOVERNMENT AMENDMENT COMMITTEE (2017-2019)
In 2017, the Metropolitan Council formed a committee to study and recommend possible amendments to the Plan of Government. That committee was made up of several City-Parish department leaders, community leaders, and representatives from the Southern University Law Center, the LSU Law School, the NAACP, the Federation of Greater Baton Rouge Civic Associations, and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. The group met monthly for almost two years to formulate amendments to update and clarify most of the sections of the Plan of Government. The amendments would have to be approved by the Metropolitan Council and by the voters of East Baton Rouge Parish in order to be effective.
Throughout 2021, several council members held public informational meetings in their council districts to inform members of the public about the proposed amendments, seeking feedback and allowing the public to ask questions about all changes proposed by the Plan of Government Committee. A recording of one of those public meetings is linked below under “Plan of Government Public Meetings.”
PROPOSED PLAN OF GOVERNMENT AMENDMENTS
In 2022, a renewed effort to send the proposed administrative changes to the Plan of Government to the voters has been offered. These administrative changes are largely classified as text updates and removal of out-of-date references from the parish’s Plan of Government. If these amendments are approved by the Metro Council, they will be offered up to voters on the November 8, 2022, ballot.
The following documents provide further information on the proposed administrative amendments:
PLAN OF GOVERNMENT PUBLIC MEETINGS
During the 2021 public meetings on all proposed Plan of Government amendments, a meeting was recorded to provide full access to all proposed amendments from the Plan of Government committee: