SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Building permit records reveal that housing starts in eight of Sangamon County's largest communities are falling.

The (Springfield) State Journal-Register reports that a total of 244 permits were issued in 2012 in Springfield, Chatham, Auburn, Sherman, Rochester, Riverton, Williamsville and New Berlin. That's 20 percent fewer permits than the 304 permits issued in 2010.

Dave Mathews, the president of the Springfield Area Home Builders Association, says what happened in 2012 is a continuation of what started in the years since the economic downturn.