Austin City Council given update on bids for the city’s wastewater treatment plant expansion and renovation project at work session

The Austin City Council was given an update on bids for the city’s wastewater treatment plant renovation and expansion project during a recent work session.  Austin City Administrator Craig Clark spoke with KAUS News and stated that three construction firms submitted bids for the project, which is now projected to cost approximately $105 million, which is up from approximately $74-$78 million in 2018 due to inflationary costs and labor availability….

Clark stated that the $52.5 million in industrial costs for the project will be paid for via an agreement with Hormel Foods Corporation, who will repay the city as costs are incurred, and he added that the $52.8 million for the domestic portion of the project will be funded by various grants, loans and city sewer funds…

Clark went on to state that end-of-session gridlock prevented the legislature from providing the requested bonding dollars to help offset the cost of the project, which was primarily brought about by clean water regulations enacted by the state…

The city of Austin had requested $14.5 million in bonding dollars during the last legislative session to help offset the cost of the project.  There has been no movement at the legislature concerning a possible special legislative session to approve a bonding bill or to complete other work left undone, and hopes for a special session to be called continue to dim with legislators in the midst of the summer campaign season.