Black. With sugar or sweetener. With milk or creamer. Or with both sweetener and creamer.

Stacey Morgan Brubaker likes her coffee with local residents.

Manheim Township will make both Morgan Brubaker and hot java available at its upcoming Coffee with a Commissioner event.

"The intent is to create an environment that makes you feel like we're at a local coffee shop," said Morgan Brubaker, who's been a Manheim Township commissioner for three years. "Have a cup of coffee, sit down and talk. It's free flow. We sit and face residents, and we just chat. It's that informal."

Manheim Township will present its next installment of Coffee with a Commissioner from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17, inside the public meeting room of the township municipal building, 1840 Municipal Drive, Lancaster. The free event encourages Manheim Township residents to provide ideas, concerns and feedback about current local topics and issues and to ask questions of their elected officials in a laid-back setting.

In advance of the meeting, residents are asked to email their thoughts to info@manheimtownship.org and to use the subject line "Coffee with a Commissioner" in order to structure the discussions.

"Residents pay taxes, they live here, they elect us," said Morgan Brubaker. "Our responsibility is to see what issues they're facing. The commissioners are passionate about Manheim Township. They all want to do a good job, and one of the ways we can do a good job is to hear from the residents. At this level, it's not political. Our role is to create a safe community where people feel at home."

Coffee with a Commissioner is a great example of a proactive approach to governing. It's a way to promote openness, respect, active listening, honesty and personal relationships.

"If residents know what's going on, they'll have legitimate concerns based on knowledge," said Morgan Brubaker. "When everyone is informed, it makes our job more productive. Everyone is coming to the table with the same bit of knowledge."

"If there's a particular project on the agenda, you'll have people coming in to learn about it," Morgan Brubaker added. "Sometimes groups might have an issue in their neighborhoods, like speeding or noise. Residents want to know about things like road projects and how they're going to be impacted."

Manheim Township's board of five commissioners meets at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of every month at the Manheim Township municipal building. While the meetings allow for public comments, Coffee with a Commissioner is designed to foster more in-depth conversations.

"We're trying to create an informal setting for residents to come and talk about issues concerning them," said Morgan Brubaker. "Speaking into a microphone to a whole board at a public meeting can be intimidating. At Coffee with a Commissioner, we actually sit, and sometimes one person will start talking and other people will join in. I've met some really nice people who I may not have had an opportunity to meet. Manheim Township is really big, and everyone is busy, and we really respect that."

"We have to budget each year, and I love to hear about issues residents are facing," added Morgan Brubaker. "We're getting it from all different perspectives. It helps us when we go into budget discussions. It's about building trust and letting residents know who we are."

Volunteer positions, Manheim Township commissioners are elected for four-year terms.

"We're in charge of community health, safety and wellness," said Morgan Brubaker. "We're bound by ordinances, but we also have the power to change them as we see fit. We're also responsible for setting the budget."

"I love Manheim Township," she continued. "I love the staff at Manheim Township. I love working with the staff."

Manheim Township covers 24 square miles in area. The township contains more than 16,000 residential dwellings, and about 44,000 citizens reside there.

"I think we're in really good shape," said Morgan Brubaker. "We're getting ready to adopt a new comprehensive plan. Are there problems? Of course there are. But we're identifying those problems, and we're getting ready to implement solutions."

For additional information, go to http://www.manheimtownship.org.