Make sure you register today for SOCM's first Public Meeting and our 40th Anniversary Closing Celebration to be held on Saturday, May 18th at Tennessee State University in Nashville. Hear directly from SOCM members about the work they are doing to improve the quality of life for themselves and their neighbors.

We have a great day full of activities planned. Childcare will be provided and transportation is available from several areas around the state.

2 p.m. Registration

2:45 p.m. Opening Cultural Performance

3 p.m. Welcome from the SOCM Board and Introductions

3:30 p.m. Presentation of SOCM Statewide Issue Work

5 p.m. 40th Anniversary Closing Celebration

*All times are central

We would like to thank Destellos Culturales for opening and closing the Public Meeting with traditional Mexican music and dance, the Radical Sparkle Collective for providing childcare, and the Shelby Bottom String Band for providing music during the celebration.

Registration closes on Monday, May 13th so register now. The event is free and open to the public so bring the whole family and a few friends!

Destellos Culturales is a group of youth and adults that perform traditional Mexican dances from various states in Mexico.

From www.socm.org:

In a community center full of concerned citizens, city officials, and representatives from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), the state Comptroller's office, and the State Department of Health, Mt. Pleasant residents were finally given a space to publicly question officials about the heavy burden of sewer rates (over $50 per month base rate) and the persistent concerns about the quality of the town's drinking water. As the city-sponsored Town Hall on Public Utilities drew to a close on the night of April 25th, SOCM member Imogene Conger stood to ask a fundamental question, "why are the people of Mt. Pleasant paying for all these past mistakes we didn't make? And where is the relief for us?"

On Valentine's Day, SOCM members delivered nearly 100 water quality complaint forms to TDEC with a valentine.

After a 45-minute presentation from city officials, SOCM member Mickie Cannon took the microphone to say, "The only thing I got out of this meeting is that we've got 15 more years of imprisonment to bills I can't afford." SOCM members Joycelene Johns, Gloria Jordan and other local citizens raised repeated questions about the fluctuation and inconsistency of sewer and water charges from house to house and from month to month. Johns also made the economic argument, noting that passing expenses on to residents "is not smart, because people are moving out." Mt. Pleasant City Manager Michelle Williams was apologetic, but asserted that "the city is a business." Johns responded that businesses should not be privileged over the residents of the town.

To read the rest of this article about the Mt. Pleasant Town Hall Meeting on Utilities, click here.

 The Maury County Chapter will meet in Mt. Pleasant on Tuesday, May 7th, at 6:30 pm, and the meeting will include an informational session with residents dealing with lead contamination issue from the EPA's investigation of the old Industrial Products Company site in their neighborhood. The EPA will issue a report on that investigation in June, and will hold another public informational session at the Mt. Pleasant Community Center to coincide with its release.