Cohousing-L Mailing List: RE: Agenda Planning

[Eileen McCourt (emccourt]

We have a steering committee.  The committee's main responsibility is to set
the agenda for each meeting.  The steering committee maintains a "parking
lot" document, with timelines, for open issues.  Stuff gets onto the parking
lot one of two ways.  Either an issue comes up during a meeting that needs
to be resolved before a proposal can be agreed to (referred to committee for
more information), or, an issue is presented during the "new business"
portion of each meeting's agenda.  The intention is to identify new
business, determine the scope of the issue, whether to refer it to a
committee, etc., and get it onto the parking lot for a future meeting.

The champion of the issue has to bring it through the new business and
and/or committee process.  Proposals do not ordinarily come from an
individual, but usually are sponsored by a committee with a recommendation.
Complex topics/proposals are usually presented in email before the meeting.

We loosely use the four categories important/not urgent, important/urgent,
not important/urgent, and not important/not urgent methodology for
prioritizing the parking lot.  Some things do not make it to the agenda, and
either become non-issues or are resolved some other way by the time they
surface in the priority list or there is finally enough time to deal with
them.   These are the things that fall into the not important/not urgent
category.  This filter, though subjective, helps to focus on the
important/urgent stuff and bring as much stuff as possible forward to be
dealt with as important/not urgent.  We try to stay out of the two not
important zones.  Of course if something really important is being
overlooked, it will resurface or be championed by someone to get the proper
attention.

--eileen

Eileen McCourt
Oak Creek Commons
Cohousing in Paso Robles, CA
emccourt [at] mindspring.com
http://oakcreekcommons.org



-----Original Message-----
From: cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org
[mailto:cohousing-l-admin [at] cohousing.org]On Behalf Of Becky Schaller
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2001 11:24 AM
To: cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org
Subject: [C-L]_Agenda Planning

I'm wondering how other communities decide what items get on the agenda for
each meeting.  Here at Sonora Cohousing, people submit items and the
approximate times needed to the facilitator. Hopefully, when it's all added
up, there is more time than is requested. That has seldom been the case so
often times items get delayed to the next meeting.  And perhaps to the next
meeting.  I'm wondering how other communities decide what gets on the agenda
and what gets put off.  I understand there is a group in Rob's community
which does this along with supporting the groups meeting in other ways.  I
rather like this idea and I'm wondering about other ways of deciding.  Would
you be willing to say how your community makes these decisions.  Who decides
what gets on the agenda?

Becky Schaller
Sonora Cohousing
Tucson,Arizona
Where the pool opened yesterday

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