By Zachary Meseck and Tyler Murphy

NORWICH –The City of Norwich Mayor Christine Carnrike said she was forced to admit the existence of an undisclosed and informal agreement with her private employer, Burrell's Excavating, that gave the company access to city water at no charge, after members of the public complained.

Carnrike is a long-time and full-time employee of the company. At a public meeting Tuesday the mayor said she had chosen to continue to offer her employer, which is based outside of city limits, free water as part of an established "hand shake agreement."

Some members of the city's common council said they were never told of the arrangement, but Carnrike claimed she was just continuing an original agreement made by former Norwich Department of Public Works Superintendent Carl Iverson.

However, officials said they did not know if any paperwork or records existed of the ongoing behind closed-doors deal, and officials also did not disclose how much city water had been taken by the company.

The mayor said her employer Burrell's Excavating explained that it no longer wanted the arrangement due to public perception, and in Tuesday's meeting the mayor said she was being forced to address the issue after online complaints brought attention to the deal.