At any municipal meeting, things get talked about that are on the agenda and, quite often, ones that are not.

It might happen during the public comment portion most panels provide at one end or the other of the meeting, or emerge on its own, sprouting up from discussion of an agenda item.

Either way, people get talked about — people who usually aren’t there to give their side.

Sometimes it comes to nothing, a casual remark at a public meeting and no action resulting from it. Other times it puts the panel on a path to looking into the complaint or comment and, if needed, addressing it further.

That’s part of how government functions locally and the alternatives are not attractive: no public comment, or a more court-like hand in managing a meeting where people pass the M & M’s and have the camaraderie of being among fellow residents, all paying taxes to the same pot.

Talking is good for a town, and sometimes, that means complaining. As a newspaper, we hear it all. And we report a lot of it, but we take the extra step of trying to follow up with the person who was talked about.

People tend to appreciate that. Sometimes, they hear it from us first. It’s a little awkward to tell someone what others said about them at a public meeting and what response, if any, the panel had.

But to us, that’s better than not giving them that chance. It’s also part of our daily attempt to give as full a picture as we can collect the colors to paint.

We have no criticism for the panels in this. We like that they let people talk and that usually, if it gets out of hand in language or other ways, they shut it down.

A public meeting keeps town business open. The weekly and monthly ones, with exception, draw a small crowd, if any. People are working or taking care of their families. That’s where we come in, glad to be there, even for the awkward moments.