Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: meeting agendas... or is it agendae?

[HeidiNYS (HeidiNYS]

Wow!!!  Four years after move-in, we still meet every 2 weeks.  While our 
pre-move-in meetings were much lengthier we now schhedule for 2 hours.  We 
tend to cover entire Agenda, sometimes various of us are not ready to make a 
decison/there is not a time pressure factor, we will return to 
decision-making/discussion as unfinished business the followong meeting.  

We have a semi-standard Agenda format;  this we find helpful.  I'll type it 
here, perhaps it'll be helpful to others.  We start with a quick go-round, 
update one another/share info of what's gone on in our lives/larger 
community/up-coming events/concerts, etc.  If we have visitors, we introduce 
ourselves, and invite visitors to do same.

We move on either directly to Committe Reports, or take a 'time-line.  thsi 
depends on Facilitator.  I firnd it's helpful to do a time-Line:  go to each 
Committee Head & other folks on Agenda/or with NewBusiness to add to Agenda 
and ask how much time they anticipate needing.  
This doesn't mean we'll stick to this, but does mean we try to give it some 
thought, and that when we have used up most of the initial time, we can do a 
check-in with the group and see if there seems to consensus for it being 
important to continue discussion, or if there's a preference/ability to hold 
discussion over to be continued next meeting.  We often do well to have time 
between meetings, and think things over.  

After that preface, ie, FYIs and optional time Line, we go through our 
standard agenda.  We start with Treasurer's report, and continue on through 
reports from each Committee.  Our committees include: Cantines Island 
Holding, Legal/Finance;  Grounds/Landscape;  Common House Committee;  Site 
Constructin & Maitenance;  Membership/Outreach;  and currently, as we are 
again in a development phase,  a Development Task Force & Architectural 
Review.

We move on to Unfinished Business, currently, 6 Items, some will be dismissed 
as already resolves, and then we move on to New Business.  
When done, and this is helpful and important, the Recorder recaps Minutes,  
giving any items that were Agreed upon, usually a policy, and also any 
'to-do's, something someone has committed to doing.  
sounds breathless, and we do run a fairly tight meeting on the one 
hand....it's a funny & fun loving & smart group, and we do laugh our way thru 
chunks of meetings.  
Best wishes to all,
Ruth Hirsch 
Cantines Island, Saugerties NY [near Woodstock]
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