Mayor Cantrell looks to throw out IV Waste emergency contract

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Mayor Latoya Cantrell issued a statement, saying she had submitted a 90-day notice of termination of the emergency sanitation contract between the city and IV Waste made in December of 2024.

“We cleaned up after the tragic event on Bourbon Street, Super Bowl, Mardi Gras, national exposure. People were happy. People are still talking about it. I mean people are very happy with the service we are giving, so why would you switch it when you have something that’s working? It doesn’t make sense,” IV Waste President Sidney Torres said.

If this termination goes through, Henry Consulting, which won the original bid, will assume full services on Aug. 1.

“Our contract is $6 million, their contract is $8.5 to $9 million. It’s a huge difference. What’s the rush?” Torres said.

While the decision to issue a termination notice came as a surprise for Torres, it was also a shock for the council, including Councilman Freddie King, who says he was not informed of the decision prior to the announcement.

“It seemed like everything was going well. We just finished French Quarter Fest, we had the Super Bowl. We had Sugar Bowl. We had Mardi Gras. Everything was going well, so to do this with no consultation with the council is a bit puzzling,” King said.

While the mayor made her decision, it is not finalized yet. It now goes to appellate court where both Torres and King say they will continue to fight.

“I want to keep things the way it is, and that’s with IV doing sanitation pickup in the French Quarter, simply because that’s what the residents want,” King said.

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