EAST BATON ROUGE — Voters in two East Baton Rouge Parish districts will decide on measures to support neighborhood security, maintenance and fee collection on the upcoming ballot.

For the first time, residents living in the Crossgates subdivision off Tiger Bend Road in St. George will vote on creating the Crossgates Subdivision Crime Prevention and Neighborhood Improvement District.

If approved, the proposal would allow the neighborhood's annual homeowners association dues to be collected as a parcel fee on property tax bills rather than through manual payments.

Crossgates Homeowners Association Secretary Erich Ponti explained that residents currently pay $150 annually for grass cutting and security patrols, and that rate will not change under the new district.

"The HOA and all HOAs are dealt with volunteer labor, volunteer residents that live within the neighborhood, that spend countless months collecting dues and fees. This ballot initiative will centralize the collection of taxes through your tax bill through the sheriff," Ponti said.

"It frees up volunteers' time to focus on their families and their jobs, and that ensures everyone in the neighborhood pays their dues."

Meanwhile, residents in Baker's Parkwood Terrace will vote on whether to renew an existing crime prevention and neighborhood improvement district through 2037.

Parkwood Terrace Crime Commission President Jerrie Booker noted that homeowners have paid a $100 annual fee under the measure for the past 10 years to fund neighborhood safety projects.

"We have done lighting to help us, and we have done fencing around the back parts of the subdivision. So we do all these things to keep our neighborhood safe," Booker said.

Booker, who has lived in Parkwood Terrace for over 50 years, emphasized the positive impact the district has had on local security.

"I found it to be good for us. Sometimes if you go somewhere at midnight, it's good to see a police car backed into the front or backed into the back, to make sure you get in your house and you're safe," Booker said.