Sioux City Council Cancels Wastewater Plant Contract

Councilman Rick Bertrand led the effort to end the contract with Kiewit after disputing the original bid.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in City Hall

Flat-color editorial illustration of a single circular concrete settling tank rim on open prairie beside a river under cool overcast light. — The Sioux City Council voted Monday, November 2, 2026, to cancel its wastewater treatment plant contract with Kiewit after Councilman Rick Bertrand disputed the original $475 million bid. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Sioux City Council canceled its wastewater treatment plant construction contract with Kiewit at a Monday meeting. Council members publicly disputed the original $475 million bid and the previous council's exit strategy.

Why it matters

The decision halts a major municipal infrastructure project and reopens debate over its cost and the process used to approve it. Residents of Sioux City are directly affected by how the city funds and delivers its wastewater system.

The original wastewater treatment plant bid was $475 million, while a $470 million figure was cited in the council transcript. The record does not yet show a revised cost estimate or replacement plan for the project.

The players

Rick Bertrand

Sioux City councilman who challenged the original wastewater bid and led the effort to cancel the Kiewit contract.

Kiewit

Construction firm that was the bidder on the Sioux City wastewater treatment plant contract.

Bob Scott

Mayor of Sioux City who presided over the council meeting where the contract was debated.

The details

At the Monday, November 2, 2026 meeting, Councilman Rick Bertrand challenged the original bid and led the push to cancel the Kiewit contract. Council members argued over the bids during the concerns portion of the meeting, which Mayor Bob Scott opened by asking Mayor Pro-Tem Julie Schoenherr to begin.

Monday, November 2, 2026: Sioux City Council meeting where the wastewater bids were debated and the contract was canceled.

Political Context

Council members disputed the previous council's exit strategy for the wastewater treatment plant project, which frames this cancellation as a departure from that earlier course. The debate centers on whether the original $475 million bid and the process behind it should have been challenged before the contract was ended.

Residents of Sioux City will be affected by how the city funds and delivers its wastewater system after the Kiewit contract ends. The source does not yet confirm the cost or timing of any replacement effort.

The takeaway

Major infrastructure contracts can be reopened by local councils when bid costs and approval processes are disputed. Readers following Sioux City should watch for the revised plan and cost estimate that the council will need to adopt.