NORWICH – The city’s Common Council held a special meeting Tuesday night to discuss the proposed budget for 2007. During the meeting, the council also discussed the water and sewer rates that will go into effect next year.

At last week’s budget meeting, City Financial Director William Roberts discussed the possibility of a 6.5 percent tax rate increase. Since then, that number has dropped. “I’ve incorporated all the suggested changes,” he said. The proposed budget would now come with a 5.85 percent tax rate increase. In 2006, city residents were paying property taxes of $15.22 per $1,000 of assessed value. In 2007, they will be paying $16.11. The average assessed property value in Norwich is $55,000, so the average family would pay $886.05 in property taxes in 2007, an increase of $48.95 a year.