Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Creatively & Compassionately Raising Dues?

[Buzz Harris (buzz_harris]

Hi Helen.
Mosaic Commons Cohousing has a budgetary practice that may help with your 
problem.  We, like most cohousing communities in the US, use the condominium 
model with a Homeowners' Association (HOA).

In Massachusetts the state has laws and policies that lay out the method by 
which HOA dues must be calculated ("beneficial interest" based on the square 
footage of each condo, roughly speaking).  It is not permissible to set up any 
sort of sliding scale or income-based payment system for the HOA budget.
This led us to create a separate Cohousing Budget that includes all of the 
aspects of our community spending that are not part of the HOA, but that are 
part of our activity as a cohousing community.  This includes the expenses 
related to our kitchen use for common meals, community laundry room, 
maintenance of kitchen equipment and laundry machines, community gardens, and 
some others.
Each household bids an amount that they will provide each month to support the 
cohousing budget.  We suggest an average bid based on the total of the 
cohousing budget divided by the number of households.  It is mandatory for 
every household to bid at least 5% of that average figure, but they may bid 
more than the suggested monthly amount as well.  We hold a first round of bids 
to see if enough money is pledged to meet the budget.  If not, we hold a second 
round to allow people to increase their bids if they are able.  If we still 
have less than the budget after a second round of bids then we cut the budget 
in order to accommodate what has been pledged.  In fourteen years we have only 
had to take this last step once.  Finally, the bids are confidential, and known 
only to the trustees and the bookkeeper.
This system has worked very well for us, and it allows us to accommodate a 
community whose financial resources vary from modest to considerable.  It also 
allows people to adjust their pledges over time if their financial situation 
changes.
I hope that this is useful for you.
Thanks,
Buzz HarrisMosaic Commons CohousingBerlin, Mass.
PS--I grew up in High Point, NC!
   On Friday, May 3, 2024 at 10:59:31 PM EDT, Helen Svoboda-Barber 
<h.svoboda.barber [at] gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 In our 25+ year history, our community has discussed raising dues a number
of times. Far more often than not, we end up deciding not to increase
because there are 1-3 households for whom the increase would be too much of
a burden.

Have any communities come up with a compassionate work-around to this?
I would love to find a way so that the ~20 households who are willing to
have their dues increased actually have an increase, but the ~1-3
households that can not afford it do not have the increase.

I'm looking for creative options as our community enters another dues
discussion this year.  Ideas?

Thanks, y'all!
Helen
Eno Commons, Durham NC



Helen Svoboda-Barber (*she/her/hers. why pronouns matter.
<https://intercultural.uncg.edu/student-advocacy-outreach/lgbt-community/lgbtq-resources/trans-resources/why-pronouns-matter>*
)
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