Central Electric has finished up the scheduled power outages, and there will be NO power outage tonight.
The City of Vandalia apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused our residents. However, completing this work now was far better than risking a storm coming through, taking out rotted poles, and leaving our community without power for days.
💡 A HUGE thank you to our Electric Crew for working through the night and helping Central Electric and changing out equipment that needed attention while the power was out. Your dedication and hard work do not go unnoticed, and we truly appreciate everything you do to keep Vandalia powered and safe!
Thank you all for your patience and understanding!
Below are the dates of the Vandalia Family Aquatic Center for the 2026 summer. Pool Passes are available NOW at City Hall.
🚧 Water Service Notice 🚧
The City of Vandalia will be replacing a fire hydrant today on West Home Street. During this work, residents may experience low water pressure in the area between South Maple Street and South Lincoln Street.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as crews complete this necessary maintenance. Service will return to normal once the work is finished.
If you have questions, please contact City Hall at 573-594-6186. Thank you! 💧
📢 Scheduled Power Outage Notice – City of Vandalia
Attention Vandalia residents:
Central Electric has scheduled a planned power outage April 14–16, from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM each night, to replace several utility poles in our area.
During this time, the Vandalia Electric Department will also take advantage of the outage window to upgrade and replace some of our own poles to help improve system reliability.
✅ The work is expected to take two nights, but a third night (April 16) is reserved just in case additional time is needed.
👮♂️ For added safety, the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office will have extra patrol units in town, just like during previous planned outages.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete these important improvements. Please plan accordingly and stay safe!
— City of Vandalia ⚡️
📣 City of Vandalia – Council Meeting Update
Please note that this month’s City Council meeting has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 5:30 PM due to attendance.
We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause and appreciate your understanding.
If you or anyone in your household uses oxygen, the City of Vandalia is asking you to please contact City Hall to make sure your information is up to date.
This helps emergency services respond quickly and safely in the event of power outages or other emergencies.
📞 City Hall Phone Number: 573-594-6186
Your cooperation helps keep our community safe — thank you! ❤️
There was an error in a recent Vandalia Leader story regarding the City of Vandalia and its ordinances. The article suggested that the City was creating ordinances to “single out” individuals — which is not accurate.
The statement should have read:
👉 “The City of Vandalia makes decisions with purpose, always with safety, fairness, and legal compliance in mind. We’re not out to ‘get’ anyone. Before assuming the worst, we encourage you to ask questions. We’re always willing to explain how things work and why decisions are made. We’re all part of this community, and we want Vandalia to be the best it can be.”
The Vandalia Leader has since corrected the error online, and we appreciate them taking quick action to fix the mistake.
At the end of the day, we all want what’s best for Vandalia. If you ever have questions about how things work or why decisions are made, please reach out — communication helps our whole community grow stronger. 💙
The City of Vandalia will be temporarily disconnecting water service on Wednesday, February 25th in order to connect East Highway 54 to the new water main.
Affected Areas:
📍 North Monroe to Forest
📍 East Page to East Washington
At this time, there is no timeline available for how long this changeover will take. We will share updates as soon as more information is available.
If you have any questions, please contact Vandalia City Hall at 573‑594‑6186.
Thank you for your patience as we work to improve our community’s infrastructure! 💧🏘️
******ATTENTION******
The February Board of Aldermen meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, February 19th at 5:30 pm at the Lange Building, 109 E Park, Vandalia MO 63382. There WILL NOT be a meeting on the 10th.
What is COPA? (Cost of Power Adjustment)
COPA stands for Cost of Power Adjustment. It is a charge on your electric bill that reflects the actual cost the city pays to purchase electricity.
The cost of power can change from month to month based on things like:
Fuel prices
Demand for electricity
Weather conditions
Regional power market costs
Instead of raising base electric rates every year, the city uses COPA so that rate changes go up or down depending on real power costs. When power costs are lower, the COPA is lower. When power costs increase—such as during extremely cold or hot weather—the COPA increases.
COPA is not new. It has always been part of your bill, but with the new billing system it now appears as a separate line item, making it more visible.
The COPA rate is multiplied by the number of kilowatt-hours (kW) you use, so the more electricity used in a month, the higher the COPA portion of the bill will be.
Attention Vandalia Residents: Utility Bill Questions
We have received a large number of calls today regarding higher-than-usual utility bills, and we want to provide some helpful clarification.
• Billing Cycle: Please remember that we bill one month behind, and the past few weeks have been extremely cold, which typically increases energy usage.
• Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA): The COPA charge has always been part of your bill. With our new billing system, it is now shown as a separate line item. This amount fluctuates monthly based on power costs.
👉 This month’s COPA rate is $0.0740 per kW used.We use COPA to help avoid raising utility rates every year. Unfortunately, power costs have increased this winter.
• Longer Billing Period: This current bill reflects approximately 40 days of usage, rather than the normal 30–35 days, due to onboarding a new meter reader.
If you have questions or need assistance, please continue to call City Hall at 573‑594‑6186. We are happy to help.
Thank you for your understanding.
