LEON — Work on the sewer project in the Town of Leon is continuing ahead of schedule.

During Monday’s meeting, Mayor Bruce Riffle updated council members on the project’s status. He said all the sewer project’s paperwork has been filed and the property acquisitions are almost complete.

“We are hoping to go to bid within the next three weeks to a month,” Riffle said.

According to Fred Hypes of Dunn Engineering, the wastewater collection and treatment system is being funded through a small cities block grant, the West Virginia IJDC Grant and the West Virginia State Revolving Fund Grant, with the total cost estimated at $3.7 million. When complete, the treatment system will serve 163 customers in Leon.

Wastewater treatment in town currently is conducted through things such as septic systems, Hypes said during the town’s public meeting in March. Along with providing many residents with a sewer system, he emphasized that the wastewater collection and treatment system also will make the area more environmentally friendly.

When complete, the sewer rate will be increased to a minimum of $33. If customers exceed 3,000 gallons, their bill will be higher. According to Riffle, the sewer rate protest period, which is a time frame of 45 days set by the Public Service Commission to protest rates, ended Tuesday.

Riffle said the project was ahead of schedule and that he was excited for construction to begin.

“The (sewer project) is the main thing we’ve been trying to get for a long time,” he said. “We just want to see some dirt moving now. Once we see that, we will know it’s real.”

In other business:

• Council members discussed plans for the upcoming municipal election in June. According to Riffle, all the poll workers have been chosen.

• Riffle announced that there will be a town homecoming in the summer, but a date has not been set.

The next meeting will be 7 p.m. Monday, June 8.