The Harlingen Waterworks System moved quickly this week to secure funding for new projects.

They met with city commissioners in a joint meeting on Wednesday to finalize key details just weeks before the grant deadline.

On paper, it's nearly $42 million for water infrastructure, but behind the scenes it was a race against the clock.

According to Harlingen Waterworks Utility Engineer Gabriel Trevino, grant money comes with a tight deadline, missing it means the funding disappears.

"We did have to go a little faster because they have grant components. When you have a grant then you only have a 6-month window," Trevino said.

On Wednesday, Harlingen Waterworks and the Harlingen City Commission met during a joint meeting to approve final items. If they waited any longer, they risked losing the money.

"That meeting was specific to get the approval from the city that the state requires," Trevino said.

But waiting until the last minute wasn't just a risk, it was a strategy.

"The interest rates were trending downwards, so we're like, okay well we're going to try and keep this as close to the deadline as we can to secure the best rate," Lopez said.

According to Trevino, officials are not concerned about losing any funding.

"I don't believe we'd be found at fault, you know, you have your dates sent, your date received and everything and if we're demonstrating we did get the documents to them in a timely manner, you know, if it took them longer than anticipated it doesn't jeopardize us," Trevino said.

Paperwork now heads to the Texas Attorney General for a final review, which takes about 30 days, and will leave one week before the final grant deadline.

"Yea he does his part, he gets with the water development board, and then it's done," Trevino said.

If approvals stay on track, projects could begin as early as August of this year.

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