Summit's Common Council launches a four-session fall listening series Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Summit Community Center. Mayor Elizabeth Fagan and council members will take questions from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at 100 Morris Avenue.

The city encouraged residents to stop by for what it described as a chance to share concerns, ask questions and offer suggestions without the time constraints of a formal council meeting, according to the city's announcement.

Three more sessions follow through December, all at the Community Center:

• Wednesday, Oct. 14, 7:30 to 9 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 10, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 9, 7:30 to 9 p.m.

The full schedule is posted on the city's event calendar.

Unlike a regular Common Council meeting, the listening sessions carry no formal agenda. The format is informal, and residents do not need to wait for a public-comment period to speak. But because the sessions are not official public meetings, the number of elected officials present at each one will be limited to comply with New Jersey's Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA). The law restricts how many members of a governing body can gather outside a publicly noticed meeting. That means not every council member will attend every session.

The series arrives as the council works through several high-profile issues. At its Wednesday, Sept. 9 meeting, members discussed a firefighter overtime class-action lawsuit carrying an estimated $13 million potential liability if the city loses. They also debated the future of the old firehouse property at 180 River Road and weighed the possible use of automatic license plate readers, as we reported Sept. 12. The council approved $5.2 million in bills and payroll at that same meeting.

Any of those topics could surface at the listening sessions, where the conversation is resident-driven.

Residents who cannot make the evening sessions have another option. Council President Claire Toth holds weekly office hours every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Council Conference Room on the first floor of City Hall, 512 Springfield Ave. No appointment is needed.

The next formal Common Council meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall.