HAGERSTOWN – The city of Hagerstown plans to withdraw from a stalled stormwater infrastructure grant after months of uncertainty about whether the federal funding will ever be released.
City Engineer Jim Bender told the mayor and council during a recent work session that the $75,000 Maryland Department of Emergency Management grant, matched by $25,000 in city funds, had been intended to support a computer model of Hagerstown’s storm drainage system. The project would have identified bottlenecks and prioritized future flood-mitigation and climate-resiliency improvements.
However, the program was put on hold earlier this year after MDEM notified the city that the funds, initially allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, were under review and might not be available.
Project halted amid federal funding uncertainty
Bender said the city was ready to hire a consultant when MDEM advised staff to pause all work until FEMA clarified the grant’s status. That clarification never came.
“We’ve been sitting here for six or seven months without any direction,” Bender said. “Neither FEMA nor the state can say if the funds will be released, and we’re required to report progress that we can’t make.”
The city had not spent any of its matching funds and decided to withdraw less riskily.
Federal priorities shift
Bender noted that the funding originated under the Biden administration’s climate resilience initiatives, but said those priorities may not continue under current federal leadership. During a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., city officials raised the issue with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), who acknowledged that regaining access to the money “would be difficult” given the program’s uncertain future.
“It appears unlikely that this type of climate-focused funding will be released under the current administration,” Bender said.
Council supports withdrawal
Mayor William McIntyre and council members agreed that ending the agreement made sense, as no progress had been reported and the city had no clear path forward.
Bender said the city can reapply for similar assistance if a new program becomes available in the future. “It’s better to close this out cleanly and start fresh if new funding opportunities open up,” he said.
A formal motion to withdraw from the MDEM grant will appear on the council’s next regular meeting agenda.
