NORWICH – The City of Norwich has never had an official mission statement before, and according to Mayor Joseph Maiurano, that’s a problem that will soon be remedied. On Tuesday, the Common Council is scheduled to adopt its first mission statement, listing the goals for the city.

“You have to have direction and goals to provide a safe and comfortable way of life,” Maiurano said. That is why the city leaders felt it was important to set down a specific guideline of objectives, he said.

According to the mission statement, “The mission of the City of Norwich is to serve its citizens in achieving and maintaining an optimum quality of life consistent with available resources and providing those services to the public that cannot be provided by the individual on a cost-effective basis.”

These services include the fire and police departments, as well as the department of public works, the mayor said, but of course the city is not responsible for every detail of public life. People are responsible for their own property, and landlords are responsible for their rental properties. The code enforcement officer has been working to make sure these responsibilities are met.

The Common Council has come up with a list of 10 goals to help delineate the mission statement. One goal is, “To provide for public health and safety through a professional level of police, fire, emergency preparedness and other health and safety services.