Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: annual assessment

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

The essential thing to notice is what the assessment covers in various 
communities. Here at RoseWind, our assessments seem low (around $850 per 
year) compared to many other communities, but we have no costs for snow 
removal (yay), and each owner pays their own property tax, insurance on 
their own home, and all the maintenance on their individual houses. 

Much of our annual assessment actually goes into reserve funds against 
eventual repairs on common facilities, legal contingencies, capital 
projects in the future. The operating expenses are kept low by handling 
most maintenance (mowing, irrigation system, cleaning, minor repairs) 
ourselves. We're left with funding common house utilities and supplies, 
insurance, landscape equipment, and such. 

Incidentally, for several years we've successfully used a sliding scale. 
Once the needed average-per-family amount is known, pledges are taken, 
allowing as much as 20% discount for self-identified financial hardship, 
and allowing over-amount pledges by others on a voluntary basis. It comes 
out close to even. 

Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing
Port Townsend Washington (Victorian seaport, music, art, nature)
http://www.rosewind.org
http://www.ptguide.com
http://www.ptforpeace.info (very active peace movement here- see our 
photo)