NORWICH – Governor Eliot Spitzer is asking the city and the town of Norwich to explore the possibility of merging to form one municipality.

One big question: would it become just a town or just a city or something else?

For right now, Spitzer just wants both local governments, along with 4,200 others across the state, to consider if and how they can consolidate operations and lessen the tax burden on New Yorkers who, he says, are subject to too much government.

“Forty-two-hundred taxing entities, decision-making entities, just doesn’t make sense,” Spitzer said Thursday.

The city and town of Norwich are having a joint consolidation meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Norwich town hall.

The Governor handed down a list of nearly 150 statewide initiatives Thursday. They range from merging and dissolving governments to sharing services like fire, highway, water and sewer.

The state is currently offering grants for municipalities to fund studies that examine the feasibility of consolidating.

City of Norwich Mayor Joseph Maiurano said he not only supports exploring a merger of the city and the town, he thinks the entire county should examine the possibility of getting smaller.