Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re late dues

[Mary English (Mary.English]

Question asked
We are wondering how other communities manage the issue of members who
are behind in their dues. Out of respect, we've kept individual payment
status private. 

We found here at Wasatch Commons that keeping everything completely
transparent helped the community.  Keeping situations "secret out of
respect" has not been good for the community and lets a situation get
VERY bad before it is solved, and did indeed have the effect of  leaving
 the management committee or the bookkeeper to feel the pressure of
trying to collect.  It also left the community upset when it did come to
their attention, and annoyed because the situation had gone on for so
long. After our first event, we changed our system.
 We went to posting all payments received and any arrears on a monthly
financial statement in the common house.  Everyone can also see how much
each committee has spent each month, on what, and what the committee's
balance is, was well  as who has paid fees in advance or who is in
arrears, and who hasn't paid laundry fees.
With this system in place, we did have a member who was in the process
of moving from their original large home in the community to a smaller
unit.  The first home did not sell as quickly as anticipated and she had
trouble making the condo fee on both units
She  brought the situation to an ACM (all community meeting) and the
community agreed to allow the dues to carry until the unit sold and then
be paid in full. 
As an aside, cohousing just doesn't seen to be the place to live when
you want to keep ANYTHING secret.
Mary English, Wasatch Commons