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Columbia 101 Gives Residents a Front-Row Seat to Local Government in Action

Issue #422

April 29, 2025

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

🗓 List of Upcoming Events

⛅️ Columbia’s Weather - Mostly cloudy w/ high of 86 & low of 64

📰 Columbia 101 Gives Residents a Front-Row Seat to Local Government in Action

📰 Columbia Power & Water Systems to Resume Late Fees and Service Cutoffs in May

📌 Today: Women in Business Joint Chamber Mixer 

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

🗓 Know of Some Local Events Not Listed? Send us the Details!

Upcoming Local Events

🗓 Have an event to add? Send us the Details!

Tuesday, April 29th

Wednesday, April 30th

Thursday, May 1st

Friday, May 2nd

Saturday, May 3rd

Sunday, May 4th

📌 Mark Your Calendars…

May 1 - 18: Fiddler on the Roof at Packard Playhouse
May 29 - 31: Music City Rodeo

Columbia 101 Gives Residents a Front-Row Seat to Local Government in Action

The City of Columbia recently wrapped up the second installment of Columbia 101, an initiative designed to give residents an inside look at the workings of local government. Held on April 22nd and 23rd, the program welcomed a fresh group of participants eager to deepen their understanding of city operations. Through interactive sessions, behind-the-scenes tours, and direct conversations with city leaders, Columbia 101 offered a hands-on experience that highlighted how municipal services function and how residents can play an active role in shaping their community.

Mayor Chaz Molder highlighted the program's continued positive impact, stating, "It's truly rewarding to see Columbia 101 continue to provide our residents with an invaluable look behind the scenes of their city government. This initiative is strengthening the vital connection between the City of Columbia and the community, cultivating a spirit of collaboration and shared ownership in Columbia's future."

The recent program, similar to the first, provided attendees with introductions to the city's twelve departments, including Development Services, Fire & Rescue, and Public Works. Participants also had the opportunity to tour key facilities, gaining firsthand knowledge of the dedicated efforts involved in delivering essential city services.

City Manager Tony Massey underscored the ongoing strategic importance of Columbia 101, noting, "Columbia 101 remains a cornerstone of our city's long-term vision for a well-informed and actively involved citizenry. By providing residents with a deeper understanding of our operations and resources, we are empowering them to become even greater partners in Columbia's continued progress and development."

Marketing Coordinator Lexi Dearborn, the program's creator and director, shared her enthusiasm for its continued success, saying, "Seeing Columbia 101 come to life and resonate with so many residents has been incredibly rewarding. This program was built to bridge the gap between local government and the community, and each session reminds me of the power of connection, curiosity, and civic engagement. I’m excited to see it grow and continue to spark meaningful involvement across Columbia."

Feedback from participants in the latest session echoed the positive sentiments of the program. One attendee commented, “The Columbia 101 program is an excellent introduction to the inner workings of our great city. I would recommend that every citizen attend to not only understand the hard work our city personnel and volunteers do, but to find out where you can plug in to help make a better community.”

Columbia 101 will continue to be offered twice annually and remains open to all residents of the City of Columbia and Maury County. Information regarding the next session, will be announced in the coming months. Interested individuals are encouraged to visit the City of Columbia’s website at ColumbiaTN.gov for updates and application details.

Columbia Power & Water Systems to Resume Late Fees and Service Cutoffs in May

Beginning May 1, Columbia Power & Water Systems (CPWS) customers will once again begin to see late fees on their bills, and past due customers may be subject to disruption of service.

CPWS moved to a new billing system in December 2024, prompting the suspension of fees and cutoffs, to allow consumers to create new online accounts and have time to understand the SmartHub platform now utilized by CPWS.

Customers who are 30, 60, 90 or more days past due will continue seeing emails and letters in their mailbox to alert them of the past due balance.

“This system implementation was a massive undertaking by our staff, and now that we’ve had time to adjust on our end and we’ve given our ratepayers a chance to become familiar with the system, we will begin to reinstate penalties for those who are behind on their bills,” CPWS CEO Jonathan Hardin said. “While we are obligated by the TVA to collect outstanding debt, we are also committed to taking care of our customers, and we will do anything we can to make this a smooth transition.”

Payment arrangements for customers who have bills more than $500 past due can be made when paying the most recent bill on an account in May. For customers who are less than $500 past due, the past due balance will be subject to normal CPWS policy.

While power and water bills are combined into one bill, CPWS PowerNet broadband customers will be billed separately, meaning while some consumers may have paid their utility bills as normal, the broadband portion of the bills may not have been paid and could be past due.

To stay as up to date as possible with your bill, CPWS customers can register for SmartHub, which offers the ability to see bills and payment history, set up autopay, monitor usage, set up email and text alerts and more.

Any customer who experiences a disruption in service should be aware that CPWS will attempt same-day restoration for any account paid by 2 p.m. on that day.

Customers who are delinquent on their bills are encouraged to contact CPWS by calling 931-388-4833, visiting our location at 201 Pickens Lane in Columbia or visiting cpws.com to become current prior to May 1.

Today: Women in Business Joint Chamber Mixer

Join us for our monthly Women in Business Networking Mixer on Tuesday, March 25th!

Refreshments and light bites will be provided by our event host & sponsor, Grinders Switch!

Maury Alliance hosts Women in Business Networking Events on the last Tuesday of every month to provide growth-minded women from all professional levels and backgrounds a friendly and welcoming environment where they can come together to share ideas and network.

Our mission is to provide professional enrichment, mentoring, and networking for the women of Maury County and surrounding areas.

Location: 931 Skin + Co, 1324 Trotwood Ave. #1
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 PM

🎵 This Week’s Live Music

Tuesday, April 29th

Jay Hoppus, Puckett’s, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Wednesday, April 30th

Radio Farm, Puckett’s, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Thursday, May 1st

Madison Hughes, Puckett’s, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Todd Ciprian, Tito’s Spring Hill, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Anthony Michael, McCreary’s, 7:00 - 9:00 PM

Friday, May 2nd

Rob Harris, Tito’s Spring Hill, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
The Bird and The Bear, Buck & Board, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Yonder Grove, Grinder’s Switch, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
The Nature Project, McCreary’s, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
The Fletcher Brothers, Puckett’s, 7:30 - 9:00 PM
Rea Radick, The Mulehouse, 7:30 PM

Saturday, May 3rd

Kenny Durham & Crossbridges, Amber Falls Winery, 3:00 - 7:00 PM
Taylor Barton, Buck & Board, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Tom Saffell & Robert Johnson, McCreary’s, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Karli & James, Puckett’s, 7:30 - 9:00 PM
The South Bond Crows, Fozzy’s Bar & Grill, 8:00 - 11:00 PM

Sunday, May 4th

Cliftones, Amber Falls Winery, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Reba’s Hairdo, Fozzy’s, 4:00 PM
Jay Hoppus, Puckett’s, 6:00 - 7:30 PM

👇 Click the Links to Learn About our Local Business Sponsors! 👇

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