The Vandalia City Council will hold a special meeting this evening, as they continue to look for the best and quickest way to deal with the downtown building collapse. Vandalia Mayor Rick Gottman says they are working thru this situation as quickly, and in the best way, they possibly can.
As for the owners of the buildings, that is still up in the air. In the temporary court order the city was granted to keep the buildings closed, there are 11 different entities—either individuals, banks, along with the federal government and the Illinois Department of Revenue, all listed as the defendants.
Meanwhile, the Vandalia City Council will hold their special meeting at 6 pm this evening. The meeting is being held “for the purpose of considering the adoption of an ordinance granting the Mayor extraordinary powers and authority during a state of emergency.” The collapse was discovered early Tuesday morning at 501 West Gallatin and causing damage to 507, 503 and 501 West Gallatin. Aerial pictures at www.vandaliaradio.com show the damage caused by the collapse.