ST. FRANCISVILLE - A row of signs line the entrance way at the West Feliciana Sports Park encouraging visitors to relocate in the parish. One sign appears to take a jab at Baton Rouge: 'Leave the crime and tuition behind.'

Parish President Kevin Couhig said the signs illustrate positive aspects of living in West Feliciana, things like low crime, good public schools and no traffic.

"We're not talking about Baton Rouge, it's a wonderful place. I lived there for twenty years," said Couhig. "This is a different kind of choice people make. It's a more rural environment."

Couhig wants more residential development to help protect the parish's tax base. Currently the vast majority of the parish's property taxes come from the River Bend nuclear power plant.

However, less taxes are being collected as the value of the facility depreciates over the years.

But residential development is difficult in West Feliciana. The parish's property taxes are so low that large landowners aren't incentivised to sell.

That leaves not a lot of land to develop new subdivisions.