Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: quorum, and classes of decisions

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

AT RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA, long built, we have streamlined 
decision making by designating issues as Class One or Class Two. Only Class 
One decisions require a quorum (someone from at least 51% of the member 
households); they also require ten days notice. 

Class One issues are
Fiscal and Governance issues (annual budget and assessments, decisions to 
buy or sell real estate or enter into debt, officers and any other elected 
positions, financial decisions involving over $1000),
Certain steps in dispute resolution,
Delegation of Class One issues, and also
Any other matter determined to be Class One by a majority present at a 
regular meeting 

Class Two is everything else. I've simplified this a tad, but it's a useful 
approach that could be modified by any group to suit. Sometimes it's 
Steering or Facilitation who declare something Class One, sensing that it's 
important in that sort of way. 

Almost all proposals go through a whole "seasoning" process, with emails, 
and conversations, and discussion circles, and discussion at meetings. So 
there is little chance of anything getting sneaked through in anyone's 
absence. If a person felt strongly against something, they'd only have to 
persuade one other person to be personally represented at a meeting they 
could not attend. We have also scheduled circles and decisions to do our 
best to include those with strong positions. 

Doing things with the Class One distinction usually means we only have maybe 
three meetings a year that require a quorum, though we often have one 
anyway. 

Lynn at RoseWind