VIDALIA — Like a prospective homebuyer, the City of Vidalia’s government is waiting to hear from its lender before it can start moving into its new home.

Plans have been in place since March for Vidalia’s main government office, police and fire departments to move to a new — as yet unbuilt — municipal complex on the western end of town.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is reviewing the city’s loan application, and based on its findings will determine how much of the 40-year note will be loan and how much will be grant, Mayor Hyram Copeland said.

That means that, if the loan is 75 percent loan and 25 percent grant, for every $1 million the city borrows, it will only have to pay back $750,000.

The city currently has preliminary floor schematics, but more detailed plans are still in the works, and the loan application is based on the estimated cost for the 30,000-square foot complex, Copeland said.

Once the city receives word about its loan, it can let the project out for bids.

“If we advertise for bids in January, we can accept the bids in February,” Copeland said.

“Then the (construction company) can sit down with us and have a pre-construction conference and tell us when they can start.”

From there, the work can start on what will probably be a 14-month contract, Copeland said.

Based of the complex’s preliminary design, Copeland said he doesn’t expect it will be as expensive as it could be.

“It’s a single story, so it will not be real complicated, and I expect to get some good bids.”