After years of battling project delays and cost increases, Ouray city officials this week caught a major break in their effort to build a desperately needed wastewater treatment plant — a lower construction price.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to award a contract to Aslan Construction to build a new mechanical plant for a guaranteed maximum price of $17.3 million, saving the city more than $2 million compared to the initial guaranteed maximum price offered by a different contra...