The new Butler County commissioners are bringing back the second public-comments period. Commissioner Leslie Osche, board chairman, said Wednesday that the public comment period at the end of the meetings is being restored three years after the previous board axed it.

Bully for the commissioners for letting the people have their say. But please don’t go interpreting the restoration as anything more than it is.

The previous commissioners removed the speaking period in 2013, saying the elimination would cut down the amount of time the meetings were taking.

It was a polite way of saying the privilege was being abused. And it was being abused, most frequently and bitterly by the minority-party commissioner to rail against the majority’s decisions and policies.

Recall the outcry of the most flagrant abusers of the privilege when the comment period was eliminated. They claimed it was an affront to their constitutional right to free speech.

Their First Amendment argument was pure nonsense. Americans have a right to say anything they want, but that doesn’t guarantee them a forum of their choosing. The First Amendment does not give anyone the right to speak out of turn at a public meeting. Demonstrators frequently exercise free speech with protests in front of the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol and the White House, but it would be an unimaginable offense for them to barge into any of these public spaces and demand to be heard.

The county commissioners’ meeting chamber is no different.

By restoring the comment period, the commissioners are not ceding a right; rather, they are granting a privilege — a privilege that should be exercised with restraint and respect.

The comment period grants any speaker three minutes to speak on any issue. Three minutes is ample time to air a grievance, propose an idea or offer a suggestion.

But more important is the exercise of restraint.

The comment period should not be a launch pad for personal or political attacks. Neither is it a personal soap box or grandstand. And most important of all, it should be reserved for issues and concerns about which the commissioners can actually do something.

Since the comment period will be at both the voting meeting and the agenda setting meeting held the week before the voting meeting, the commissioners are urging the public to speak at the agenda setting meeting, which would give them more time to consider the comments and concerns.

It’s a welcome move for the commissioners to restore the time for public comments. Let’s all remember that it’s a privilege, not a right.