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Councilman Asher warns against duplicate county water study, cites Edgemont reserve and past failed plan
Summary
Councilman Asher told the Hagerstown council that a county consulting contract to study water/sewer needs risks duplicating a state‑funded study already underway and could saddle taxpayers if pursued without coordination. He pointed to Edgemont as an existing reserve and recalled a prior failed $54 million plan.
Councilman Asher used his council comments on May 19 to press a substantive policy point about regional water planning and a county agenda item under discussion at the county level. He said the county’s proposed consulting contract looks to address long‑term water and sewer demands, but cautioned it duplicates a state‑funded study the city helped secure.
"You can't just read the agenda — you really gotta read what the proposed contract is for," Asher said, urging council and the public to scrutinize the county approach. He noted the city’s system is much larger than other municipal systems in Washington County and said that an alternative system developed decades ago at Edgemont already provides reserve capacity. "It is sitting fallow... it has the ability to provide that reserve capability that we're looking for," Asher said.
Asher referenced a prior regional effort that he said folded after building a $54 million plan, leaving long‑term costs to county taxpayers. He warned against duplicative local spending and described the county effort as potentially driven by politics rather than technical necessity. Mayor and other council members responded by thanking him for raising the concerns and saying the city has engaged in and will continue to engage in regional discussions.
Asher said he will continue to follow the county agenda item as it unfolds and urged collaboration rather than parallel, competing studies.
