Mt. Lebanon residents who gathered Saturday morning both inside and outside their municipal center on Washington Road could not agree on why they were there.

Inside the building, Commissioner Matthew Kluck sponsored a town hall meeting for about 80 invited guests. Outside, about 50 other people picketed.

While the town hall meeting's announced topic was "Perspectives on Living in and Governing a Highly Taxed Community," many of those gathered on the sidewalk said they feared its real agenda was an attempt by Mr. Kluck and his allies to delay or reduce the scope of a $113 million plan to renovate Mt. Lebanon Senior High School. The plan has been the topic of extensive debate in the community for months.

Mr. Kluck and other organizers denied that, describing the meeting as an open discussion. He also said the session had not been closed to keep out most school renovation supporters, but because space was limited in the municipal building.

"All the tickets are gone," Mr. Kluck said, explaining why neither protesters nor reporters were allowed into the 90-minute session.

The session was captured on video, and plans are in the works to air it on community cable channels, meeting organizer Charlotte Stephenson said.

Fen Labalme, one of the people picketing outdoors, said he was concerned about the effect that program might have on the community. He said he feared people unfamiliar with the school renovation issue who see the taped version of the invitation-only event might believe it represented the general opinion of Mt. Lebanon residents.

"What upsets me is that this is a private meeting billed as a public meeting," he said.

Mr. Kluck said he was pleased with the turnout for the town hall session and with the presence of the protesters outside.

"This is exactly what I like to see -- people getting involved in their community," he said as he chatted with the protesters before his meeting.

While invitations had been distributed for all 80 seats in the commissioners meeting room, some chairs remained empty, according to people who attended the meeting. Bill Lewis, one of its organizers, said some older residents told him they decided not to come after they learned about the planned protest outside.

The scene, however, was peaceful, and those on both sides were polite. Mt. Lebanon police erected barriers to close one lane of Washington Road, separating the protesters on the sidewalk from the fast-moving traffic that passed them.

Mrs. Stephenson said the topics discussed inside during the panel discussion included the local economy, real estate market and property tax burden. There also was discussion of the cumulative effect of federal, state, county and local taxes, Mr. Lewis said.

While the high school renovation project was not specifically on the agenda, some of those at the meeting said they had concerns about the project's price tag.

The school district has borrowed $75 million. Mrs. Stephenson said that amount should be enough to pay for upgrades to the high school. Nearby Bethel Park is building a new high school for that amount, she said.

"I think we have to have more of these kinds of meetings," Bob D'Angelo, 75, said after the town hall session. He, too, said he thought the budget for the school renovation was too high.

Protester David Reese, 67, disagreed.

"Yes, we are highly taxed, but we get what we pay for," he said.

One of the reasons people move to Mt. Lebanon, Mr. Reese said, is the quality of its school system.

"I see a potential for decline if we don't push through with the school renovation," he said

Mr. Labalme agreed, saying one of the three reasons he and his family moved to Mt. Lebanon was the excellence of its schools.

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