Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Counting votes

[Diana Carroll (dianaecarroll]

We make almost all our decisions by consensus, but by policy, in case of
failure of consensus we fall to a vote. In that case, each household has a
single vote for matters of finance (which ends up being very similar in
practice to manzanita's approach, I think).

Diana from Mosaic Commons, Berlin, MA

On Monday, February 3, 2014, <drmaryann49 [at] mac.com> wrote:

>
> Here at Manzanita Village, we have two inter-locking governance
> structures. We are chartered by the state as a homeowners association
> (HOA). Decisions of the HOA are voted on by homeowners with each lot having
> one vote. (This means, for example, that my husband and I only have a
> single vote between us.)
>
> According to our rules the only items that are taken to the HOA are 1)
> raising dues, 2) doing a special assessment, 3) electing the HOA board of
> directors, 4) revising the Bylaws and CC&Rs.
>
> All other decisions are decided in Plenary. Every adult who lives on site,
> homeowners, renters, and other adults are members of the Village. We also
> have a small number (currently 5) of adults who live off-site who are
> members. We use consensus for all Plenary decisions. Everyone who is a
> member can participate in these decisions.
>
> In several cases, for example raising dues, revising the Bylaws and CC&R,
> or electing the HOA board, the members of the HOA are actually ratifying
> decisions already discussed and approved at a Plenary session although in
> theory the homeowners could override the Plenary. That would be difficult
> since the majority of people at any Plenary session are homeowner/members.
>
> Mary Ann
> Manzanita Village
> where winter temperatures have returned but we can't complain when we see
> what's happening in other parts of the country
>
> On Feb 3, 2014, at 3:41 PM, johnrichmond50 <johnrichmond50 [at] 
> hotmail.com<javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Another question: How do you count people who are from multiple
> unrelated-adult households in your community?  Do you have one vote per
> household, each person having one vote/voice,  or do you do something
> different? I would think that this would have more application to
> communities that use a modified consensus or super-majority system as we
> do, but you never know. ..
> >
> > Thanks
> > John Richmond,  Richmond Cohousing
> >
> >
> > Sent from my Galaxy S(R)III
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>
> --
>
> To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the
> only end of life. -- Robert Louis Stevenson
>
> Mary Ann Clark
> drmaryann49 [at] mac.com <javascript:;>
> Check out DrMaryAnn's Academy at http://drmaryann.wordpress.com/
>
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