NORWICH – A report looking at shared municipal services and government consolidation in the City of Norwich, Town of Norwich and the Town of North Norwich will be made public Wednesday, state officials confirmed last week.

The findings are being released as part of a larger study compiled by the state Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, which has spent the last year developing recommendations aimed at reducing the layers of local government.

The Center for Governmental Research, a private consulting firm based in Albany and Rochester, put together the Norwich data for the commission.

Lessening the tax burden, as well as making government less complex and more efficient, are the main goals of the overall project, commission officials say.

The study is also expected to outline needed changes at the state level, such as altering state laws and increasing monetary incentives to make consolidation efforts easier for communities that are interested in pairing-down, said John Clarkson, Executive Director of the Commission on Local Government.

The Evening Sun will be running a three-part series starting Wednesday breaking down the study’s findings, as well as local reactions and what will happen next.

For now, the report’s goal is to arm the public with knowledge and get people talking, said Clarkson.

“It’s about getting a discussion started locally,” he said. “It’s about giving more tools to local governments.”