As much as we deplore restraints on free speech, the Rowan County Board of Commissioners’ decision to set aside a scant 15 minutes for public comment at the beginning of each meeting is a necessary compromise that will give some folks a chance to have their say without holding up the agenda.

Scheduling this public comment period has been a problem. Putting it at the end of the meeting didn’t work well because speakers sometimes had to sit through two or even three hours of other business, which discouraged participation. Last year, the board moved the public comment period to the beginning of the meeting, but on occasions when several speakers showed up, that delayed the start of official business and bollixed up the timetable.

The revised rules will give a limited number of speakers a chance to get a quick say out of the way. Up to five people can have three minutes each to address the board when the meeting begins, providing they sign up beforehand with the county manager’s office. The commissioners will still listen to other speakers — but they’ll have to wait until the end of the meeting.

Three minutes may not seem like much — some of Al Gore’s sighs seemed at least that long — but before you accuse the commissioners of being stingy with their time, consider that they often have a busy agenda, and some meetings run well into the night. Setting aside even a short span at the start of the meeting will make it more convenient for residents to weigh in on policy decisions, which the board should want to encourage.

Speakers also are likely to find a more attentive audience at the start of the meeting than after three hours of discussion of road-renamings, rezonings and other matters. There also are other ways to communicate with the board — through letters, e-mail, phone calls or appointments.

You may never get the 15 minutes of fame predicted by pop culture icon Andy Warhol, but with a little patience, you probably can get your three minutes with the county commission.