Any deal to settle the Tatlock Field lights lawsuit must go before the Summit Common Council for a public vote. Residents will get a formal chance to comment before any terms are finalized.

TAPinto Summit reported that city officials confirmed the requirement as the dispute over noise, traffic and evening use of the field continues in Superior Court. The report did not name which officials made the confirmation.

The procedural guarantee means any proposed settlement cannot be finalized behind closed doors.

Youth football leader defends the rules

At the Tuesday, Oct. 6 Council meeting, Summit Youth Football leader Matt Difonzo urged the Council to keep the current lighting rules intact.

"I know we have an ordinance that works," Difonzo told the Council, according to TAPinto, pointing to recent night games that ended on time.

The ordinance in question, Ordinance 25-3363, caps high school night games at 10 per school year and requires all games to end by 9 p.m. Youth football games are permitted in addition to the 10-game cap. Playoff games are exempt from the 9 p.m. cutoff. The Council adopted the ordinance on a 6-1 vote on Dec. 16, 2025.

The ordinance also requires security cameras at Tatlock Field when lights are in use, according to Council records.

A decade-long debate

Permanent lights were installed at Tatlock Field in June 2026 after a five-year gap without night games. The last night game before the lights came down had been played on Oct. 8, 2021.

The Council approved a $500,000 anonymous donation through the Summit Foundation in September 2025 to help fund the project. The $1.2 million lighting contract went to Musco Sports Lighting LLC and was approved on Oct. 7, 2025.

The debate is not new. When the Council adopted the ordinance in December 2025, Councilmember Bob Pawlowski said the issue had been discussed "for nearly, if not over, a decade." Councilmember Claire Toth voted yes but called the ordinance "flawed." Councilmember Jamel Boyer highlighted the security-camera provision.

Summit High School's football team used two of its allotted fall night games this season: Sept. 24 and Oct. 8. The Oct. 8 game was against Woodbridge.

No settlement-related agenda item has been publicly posted as of Monday, Oct. 12.