Snowden Community Advocacy

Residents of the Snowden Community, acting on behalf of the Snowden Advocacy Group, have retained the Tinkler Law Firm to help guide them through the process of lobbying certain governments and public utilities as the Group fights to stop Mount Pleasant Waterworks from forcing residents of the Snowden Community to annex into the Town to receive sewer service.

Snowden is one of the last remaining historical African American communities east of the Cooper River and was settled in the mid-1800s before Reconstruction.  The properties in the community have been passed down through generations. Despite Mount Pleasant’s rapid growth over the last 20 years, Snowden has managed to keep its rural characteristics.

Currently, one-third of the properties in Snowden do not have access to sewer service and many of the septic tanks are old and failing, and present health and environmental problems. Sewer infrastructure for those properties is finally being put down, but the Waterworks is now requiring homeowners—mostly low to middle income—to annex into the Town to receive the much-needed sewer service. This requirement is a shift in policy from nearly 15 years ago when sewer was first introduced to the community. That project was funded by a federal grant and intended for the entire community.

The Town does not provide the sewer service.  Therefore, there is no justification for requiring annexation, which will lead to significant increases in property taxes for Snowden’s residents and government by a Town Council that does not reflect the interests of this historic community.

The Group is raising funds for their cause at www.gofundme.com/preserve-snowden. Any remaining funds not used for its lobbying efforts will help defray the costs for low income residents seeking to tie into the sewer.