Cohousing-L Mailing List: Quorum

[Lynn Nadeau / Maraiah (welcome]

Looking for info on how other groups handle quorum. 

At RoseWind Cohousing in Port Townsend WA, we designate significant categories 
of decision as Class One. Examples are passing the annual budget, selecting 
Steering and officers, decisions to sell commonly-held real estate, financial 
items over $1000. For such decisions, we require 10-day advance notice, and the 
presence of someone from each of at least 10 households. 

We have 24 households total, but now, for example, there are 4 units which are 
not occupied by owners, two households that don't choose to participate, 
several more that rarely do, an elderly member, an ill member, and several 
households that are away out of state on trips. Our monthly meetings usually 
have 10-11 households (many with two members present). These are regular 
participants and well-informed and thoughtful. Our decisions have seemed 
successful. 

We still have a requirement for a higher quorum (13 households) for "amending 
the documents". The problem is that some changes to our Bylaws or CC&Rs are 
minor (like removing obsolete references), and most are no more momentous than 
stuff we do as regular Class One, with its quorum of 10 households. If we 
require 13 even for minor amendments, we might never get it. A few people are 
concerned that if we make amending the documents simply Class One, we might 
approve something drastic (majority rule??) without adequate support. 

Do you have special requirements for making certain types of decisions? 

Maraiah Lynn Nadeau
www.rosewind.org