NORWICH – The City of Norwich Common Council voted unanimously to pass the city's $12.4 million 2018 budget Tuesday night following a public hearing where no members of the public attended.

The budget includes: an $8.4 million general fund line; a 1.81 percent indicated increase in tax rate, which is below the tax cap of 1.84 percent; and an average cost impact of $22.55 per year on the city's average property owner.

There was no public discussion by the council prior to passing the budget, however, Mayor Christine Carnrike noted prior to the voting that the version of the budget they were voting on was slightly different from the budget the council received last Thursday, though the changes did not affect the budget's bottom line.

A point of discussion was where the budget should allocate particular funds related to some of the city departments' personal services.