Reporter Leslie Albrecht will be in the council chambers tonight. She'll post breaking news updates to the site once a decision is reached.

Members of the Central Presbyterian Church recently voted to raze the current downtown chruch sanctuary and build a new one on the site. They say the old building is inadequate for today's church and cannot be remodeled.

Santuary Merced, a group of church members and others who oppose knocking down the nearly 100-year-old building, is asking the council to designate the santuary as a historic structure. The group's members hope the designation will make it more difficult for the church to get the necessary permits to demolish the current facility.

This has the makings of a pretty contentious meeting. The city has set up an overflow room so as many people as possible can be accommodated.

Check mercedsunstar.com for updates.