Re: Sample Rules and Regulations
From: Elizabeth Magill (pastorlizmgmail.com)
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2021 07:30:52 -0800 (PST)
I am from the same community as Diana and will add that after you've been
moved in awhile, and really know your neighbors, it is possible that some
things just aren't as critical as they felt before move-in.

So I was a huge blocker on the outdoor cats. And I still don't like the
outdoor cats. But when we finally revised our policy those outdoor cats had
names, and I had already worked one-on-one with the owners of the ones that
would sit on my porch chair (I am highly allergic).

So when we came to a compromise (there can only be 8--or some other
number--total outdoor cats) I was on board. In all the previous discussions
I was part of the problem with coming to consensus. But I could totally
consent to letting Heloise have her cat outside, even though I still know
she is wrong. Because we live together.

(I am still frustrated with the man who feeds the feral rats but he's my
husband so that's a different problem.)
(That's a joke.)

Liz
Mosaic Commons Cohousing in Berlin, MA

On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 9:06 AM Tom Smyth <tom [at] tomsmyth.ca> wrote:

> Thanks Diana, that's a really interesting point. I wonder if there are
> certain policies that are more amenable to, and benefit most from, creation
> ahead of time than others. One could be a vision document and other things
> that will affect who even ends up joining your group. Another could be a
> "loss of membership" policy for removing someone from the group.
>
> On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 8:59 AM Diana Carroll <dianaecarroll [at] gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Ed Sutton says "I strongly recommend that cohousing groups undertake
> > drafting clear and difficult policies before building and moving in."
> >
> > We (Mosaic Commons, Berlin, MA) got this advice and followed it, and had
> a
> > lot of policies around "hot topics" in place before we moved in, some
> even
> > before we had land.
> >
> > And...I can't really recommend it as whole-heartedly as others
> recommended
> > it to us.
> >
> > We spent a LOT of time and emotion on rules that turned out to be
> > inapplicable to the site we found. We worked hard on compromises between
> > people with strong feelings on multiple sides of issues -- and then some
> or
> > all of the stakeholders in that issue didn't move in. We found paths that
> > reflected the will of the group, and then the makeup of the group
> changed.
> > And we completely failed to anticipate which things would turn out to be
> > really controversial after move-in.
> >
> > I guess I would say it's not a bad idea to get started on "hot topic"
> > policies but don't spend huge amounts of time, energy and social capital
> on
> > them like we did.  (It took us six months to decide on a pet policy that
> in
> > the end didn't meet our needs after move-in.)
> >
> > "Once a loving person has begun feeding feral cats, it is too late to
> write
> > a pet policy."
> >
> > We spent 6 months on a pet policy that didn't mention feral cats once.
> It
> > didn't occur to us.  So had this turned out to be an issue, we would have
> > had to discuss it. It's just not true that it is "too late to write a
> > policy" if you didn't address it before move-in.  Fortunately that
> > particular thing hasn't been a problem for us, but it certainly could
> have
> > been...you just cannot possibly anticipate all the things that turn out
> to
> > be troublesome, so you *must find a way to deal with them in real-time. *
> >
> > Diana
> >
> > On Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 8:28 AM Ed Sutton via Cohousing-L <
> > cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org> wrote:
> >
> > > Takoma Village and Mosaic Commons have posted excellent examples of
> Rules
> > > and Regulations.
> > >
> > > I strongly recommend that cohousing groups undertake drafting clear and
> > > difficult policies before building and moving in.
> > > Once conflicting parties have dug in their heels and people have taken
> > > sides, it is very hard to establish a conflict resolution protocol!
> > > Once a loving person has begun feeding feral cats, it is too late to
> > write
> > > a pet policy.
> > >
> > > In consensus process, procrastination can be weaponized and a history
> of
> > > avoidance becomes the community precedent/common law.
> > > And in many cases, once someone has purchased a home, the community has
> > > little or no legal recourse to enforce community rules or consensus
> > > decisions.
> > >
> > > It is very important that people considering moving to a cohousing
> > > community read and agree to clear descriptions of expected behavior
> > before
> > > buying in.
> > >
> > > Ed Sutton
> > > Eno Commons
> > > Durham NC
> > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> > > >
> > > > Message: 1
> > > > Date: Sun, 21 Feb 2021 09:29:54 -0700
> > > > From: pam gilchrist <pamgilchrist1 [at] gmail.com>
> > > > To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> > > > Subject: [C-L]_ Sample Rules and Regulations
> > > > Message-ID:
> > > >       <
> > > CAA8jimd7Gfgnz49uvjinsGLef9w7b1Enzx6A8CyHkGgtRbYSog [at] mail.gmail.com>
> > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
> > > >
> > > > Sand River Cohousing is interested in seeing what other cohousers
> have
> > > > developed for Rules and Regulations.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------
> > > >
> > >
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > _________________________________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> --
> Tom Smyth
>
> Worker-Owner, Sassafras Tech Collective
> Specializing in innovative, usable tech for social change
> sassafras.coop · @sassafrastech
> Pronouns: he/him
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
>
>
>

-- 
-Liz
(The Rev. Dr.) Elizabeth Mae Magill
Pastor, Ashburnham Community Church
Minister to the Affiliates, Ecclesia Ministries
www.elizabethmaemagill.com
508-450-0431

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