City staff told the Shepherdsville council on Nov. 24 that bids will open Dec. 16 for major wastewater treatment plant improvements estimated at $23–25 million.

Arthur said the project will add two clarifiers — effectively doubling clarification capacity at the plant — and that roughly $10 million of the project is covered by grant funding. He said the remainder is expected to be financed through the State Revolving Fund (SRF) program, which offers low-rate loans; the transcript cites an expected SRF interest rate near 2.25%, considerably below typical market borrowing costs.

Arthur said contractors are already touring the facility and that he anticipates a competitive bid environment (he referenced multiple contractors expressing interest). The city plans to break the project into procurement phases and has been coordinating internal budgets to cover loan payment scheduling; council members asked clarifying questions about clarifiers and timelines.

Next steps: bid opening on Dec. 16; staff said they will return with bid results and recommended contract awards. The mayor also said the city will book a cash reserve transfer in January to help service SRF loan payments while the project proceeds.