Cohousing-L Mailing List: Decision making in legal docs

[ann zabaldo (zabaldo]

Greetings all!

Takoma Village is in the throes of creating our legal documents.  We
are interested in the language used by other groups when describing
their decision making process in these docs the bank or lending
institution will see (CC&R's, by-laws, etc.)

Generally, the main way groups handle this is to describe the
consensus process and then include a voting back up if the group
cannot come to a decision after a specified amount of time (after 2
meetings or more.)

Another way this is handled is to make the legal docs as mainstream
as possible and have a second document, a "membership agreement"
which is non-binding on the membership, which spells out in detail
the consensus process and the expectation of the group in using it.
Sometimes this document is signed by each member.

I would like to know what language other groups have used to satisfy
the lending institutions and, at the same time, satisfy their own
desire to use a consensus process.  Esp. if it's different than that
stated above.

I was supposed to post this message last week.  Consequently, I am in
a bit of a jam.  Read that as a LARGE jam as we are meeting on this
topic tomorrow.  Hum. hum. hum.  Any relief you can give me is
greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

--
_______________________
Best -- Ann Zabaldo
Zabaldo [at] earthlink.net

Takoma Village Cohousing is now a
*PATH Demonstration Project (Partnership for Advancing
Technology in Housing) for HUD.  We have received $35,000
from HUD for consulting fees to help us determine which
energy systems and green materials are appropriate for our
community.

TVC:

*first URBAN community in the mid-Atlantic
*Groundbreaking mid-Sept
*Ribbon cutting late March 2000
We expect to have a healthy waiting list by groundbreaking
Email me for more details.  Or visit our
website at: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~takomavillag