Mitchell wastewater treatment lawsuit accuses city of botching estimate on sludge removal

Contractor argues city underestimated amount of work by more than triple required to complete job

A contractor on the city of Mitchell’s $39 million wastewater treatment project has filed suit against the city after Mitchell moved to stop an arbitration proceeding.

Hodges Farms & Dredging asked the federal courts to remove the proceeding from the state court system, arguing that as a Kansas-based company, the federal courts have jurisdiction. The amount in dispute is also greater than $75,000, the minimum amount required for civil litigation in the federal system.