Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk reported on the “State of the City” on Monday afternoon and for the first time in the last five years overall economic news for the city is down. It was at the annual address at the Renaissance Center in Joliet that the mayor announced the slight dip in the overall economy of the city, “for four years as mayor I’ve come here and made a speech and could report positive economic news. The city of Joliet was doing better every year. Unfortunately I can’t do that for 2019.” In a breakdown of the numbers the Mayor stated that gaming revenue was down from $17.8 million in 2018 to $17.3 million in 2019, sales tax saw a drop from $50.2 million in 2018 to $49.6 million in 2019, the hotel motel tax saw a slight dip from $2.7 million to $2.6 million from 2018 to 2019 while building permits were off last years pace from $1.8 million to $1.7 million and the general fund saw a decline from $182 million to $181 million. The mayor attributed the economic drop to some of the recent issues surrounding the city council saying “I think it’s a reflection of what’s going on at city hall. I take it as a challenge to both myself and the council to straighten these matters out.” The “State of the City Address” was given at the February Member Luncheon to the Joliet Chamber of Commerce.