Cohousing-L Mailing List: consensus

[Stephanie Fassnacht (fassnach]

Dear list,
  When the committee trying to put together our consensus document
presented their initial draft to the group as a whole, several issues
generated quite a discussion.  One of these was: When consensus is
appropriate?  I felt that consensus is not appropriate for all
decisions the group must make, but when asked to come up with
examples, I came up pretty empty-handed.  Others in the group felt
that consensus is one of the things that defines a cohousing group,
and that only in extreme emergencies should any other means of
deciding be used.  I would appreciate any words of wisdom any of you
have on this topic, with examples if possible.
  Another topic that generated a lot of debate was who can participate
in the consensus process and at what levels.  Our condo docs define a
member as a unit-owner, i.e. the person(s) who legally own the
property.  The group pretty much agrees that discussion should
involve all (adult) individuals.   But who should be able to
participate in decisions that are binding on the group?   Membership
categories that could be considered here are:  unit-owners, adult
members of unit-owners' families, those persons formally accepted by
the group but waiting for a unit to become available, and those
participating in the group on a trial basis (and not owners).  Again,
any words of wisdom here would be greatly appreciated.

Stephanie Fassnacht
Village Cohousing
Madison, Wisconsin