Consultants working on a regional sewer project told Dubois County commissioners on Dec. 1 that the initiative is financially viable if the county can complete land acquisition, finalize an interlocal operating agreement with the city and secure state funding adjustments.

"IFA has kind of earmarked about $1,000,000 of forgivable loans," said Shane Spicer of Clark Yates, the project design consultant. He said the funds could be used as a buy‑down to lower borrowing costs and customer rates while the district stages hookups.

Spicer said Baker Tilly is drafting an interlocal agreement that will spell out how the city will operate and maintain the treatment works and what costs the county service area will bear. He cautioned that the project’s median household income (MHI) calculations had been skewed by boundary definitions, which could raise interest rates; he said state officials and Baker Tilly were aware and discussing remedies. "We’re hopeful that perhaps we get a better picture of what the MHI is gonna be, and perhaps maybe get even additional, forgivable loans," Spicer said.

The consultant outlined remaining work: land and easement acquisition (a long‑lead item he estimated at six to 12 months), finalizing drawings for bidding, and completing a brief update to the preliminary engineering report (PER) tied to adjusted alignments and environmental review. Spicer said the team has completed roughly 75% of the mapping and is preparing a tighter survey to identify where proposed alignments intersect private deeds.

Commissioners pressed on affordability. One commissioner said residents would likely be upset if monthly charges rose sharply from zero to near $180. Spicer acknowledged the concern and described possible financing structures in which principal forgiveness or staged payments reduce customer burden as hookups occur.

Spicer urged the county to get the PER and plans approved to make the project shovel‑ready and to preserve competitive funding: "When I talked to Camille, she was like, we need to get the shovel ready, because we just don't know when another bunch of money could come along."

No formal action was taken; commissioners directed staff to continue working with Baker Tilly, finalize conflict disclosures already signed for consultant roles, and follow up on land‑acquisition timelines, easements and PER updates. The board also asked that consultants and city staff appear at a future meeting to discuss the interlocal agreement once it is ready for review.