Submitted photo EvaDawn Bashaw, in this photo from Fredonia Public Access, gestures while debating the three-minute rule for speakers.

Village of Fredonia officials approved an effort to enforce limits when it comes to a member of the audience speaking earlier this month. How much time can someone get on the floor? Three minutes if speaking for an individual; five minutes for a group.

“It shouldn’t be at the discretion of whenever it’s convenient,” said Trustee EvaDawn Bashaw. “We’re either going to adhere to it or not … we have a public hearing coming up where we know there’s going to be quite a few people here.”

That seems fair enough.

However, a former longtime village attorney disagreed. “The three-minute rule has to be flexible,” Sam Drayo said at a meeting earlier this month. “There are important things that need to be said … you can take a 45-minute executive session, and we can sit up here and wait and wait and wait, but we have some important things to say. We’re not going to talk for half an hour. If we go four minutes or five minutes, you should be willing to hear from your citizens.”

Even current Mayor Doug Essek voiced his disagreement with the change. “Unless there’s a big group of 50 people here, I just don’t understand that need,” he said.

In this case, village trustees were correct and well within their rights. In fact, if they want, they do not need to hear from the public at all. Privilege of the floor — for those not elected — is a courtesy.

Flexibility in the rule also is important, especially for significant issues.

We note that most governments — and schools — do set limits on speaking times for members in the audience. It makes sense, especially for Fredonia, where meetings and workshops have almost no discipline. Some sessions drag on for an hour to two hours.

Maybe with this election will bring more order and brevity. But limits on speech are fair at meetings, especially if residents are being given the floor — and heard.