The wheels are turning a little faster toward expanding the Sharon sewage treatment plant.

Sharon council Thursday approved putting the project out to bid. Under an agreement with the state Department of Environmental Protection, the “shovel has to be in the ground” on the expansion by the end of June, said council President Fred Hoffman.

The price tag for the new plant will likely be $40 million to $42 million — about $10 million more than the city had expected in January.

The city got a $15.7 million loan from PENNVEST, the state agency that provides loans to improve public infrastructure, and will meet next week to chose a bond company to finance the rest of the cost, Hoffman said. He said proposals are due today.

The upgrade is mandatory to get the plant up to federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Since signing an agreement with DEP in 2002, the city has paid $139,000 in fines for violations, said DEP community relations coordinator Freda Tarbell. The money has been paid from the sewer fund, said Hoffman.

The city has also paid about $1.7 million in engineering fees to MS Consultants Inc., Youngstown, for work on the project, said Mayor Bob Lucas. Those funds came from a $2 million bridge loan to cover initial costs for the upgrade.

Hoffman said the city is at a “standstill” on the proposed deal to sell the sewer lines and lease the plant to Aqua Pennsylvania. Council approved pursuing the agreement in August, but legal issues have surfaced between PENNVEST and bond counsel, said Hoffman.

He said the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission also has to approve any deal with Aqua.

Sewer rates will double by the time the plant is up and running in about two years, Lucas has said; the fees have not been set and will depend on whether the lease agreement with Aqua Pennsylvania goes through.