The May 28, 2023, tragic partial collapse of an apartment complex at 324 Main St., Davenport, which caused the death of three people, cast a pall over the community for several months. It also created a public relations disaster with several national news outlets spotlighting the city’s building inspections and safety standards.
Many in the community have been waiting for some closure on the collapse, but that unfortunately hasn’t happened. It’s not only because the Scott County attorney decided against issuing criminal charges, but because the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) report is not being released publicly.
Scott County Attorney Kelly Cunningham recently said she had reviewed the Iowa DCI’s report and concluded nothing rose to the level of criminal charges.
“Very simply, this was a horrible tragedy involving the collapse of a structural building that had been built in (1907),” Ms. Cunningham told the Quad-City Times/Dispatch-Argus. “There is nothing within the findings set forth in the DCI report that would merit the filing of criminal charges.”
Ms. Cunningham also told Quad Cities media outlets that the DCI report should be part of discovery in civil litigation and will not be released now.
Meanwhile the fallout from the disaster continues.
Davenport’s chief building inspector resigned in June 2023 amid a backlash from the apartment building passing a city inspection just weeks prior to the collapse.
The incident has also spurred several lawsuits, including wrongful death suits.
It has been estimated that nearly 20 businesses in the neighborhood were forced to close after the partial collapse. Many eventually reopened.
Davenport residents, taxpayers and businesses have a right to know what contributed to this fatal disaster so the city can avoid a repeat in the future.
Iowa vs. Illinois fiscal picture
We continue to believe that the Quad Cities region does best when both Iowa and Illinois are doing well, especially with regards to economic development and business climate.
One indicator of a state’s health is its fiscal picture. On this measure, Iowa is clearly in a better position.
Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-Cedar Falls, said in a December 2024 interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch that Republican leaders set mechanisms in place to draw on existing state funds to make up for potential shortfalls while adjusting to the new tax system. Those funds include $3.75 billion now in the Taxpayer Relief Fund, as well as the state’s $2 billion budget surplus and $961 million in reserve accounts.
Illinois, on the other hand, has massive and well-documented fiscal challenges.
“We know there’s a big hole,” Illinois State Rep. Dan Swanson, R-Alpha, recently told Quad Cities Chamber leaders regarding a deficit that GOP leaders estimate at $3.5 billion. That’s some $300 million higher than the figure from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
We’re hopeful that Illinois’ financial picture will improve with some fiscal discipline so that border regions such as the Quad Cities won’t have significant discrepancies.
