All-Community Meeting Tuesday February 12, 2025
Topics:
Present: Ben, Sara, Larraine, Robin, Kerry, Lila, Mike, Vicky, Michael, Linda, Kay (notes), Gheybin, Lynda, Emily, Coleman & Tobi, Cyd
Venue: In the newly painted sitting room.
20 seconds of gratitude for everything that has been done in the community in the past. Sparkly wine or apple juice, celebrating the "new" sitting room and everybody who helped.
The second green couch may stay in the dining room, TBD.
Committee Reports & Announcements
Carol Smith has passed on. Memorial at Larkin Mortuary, 260 E S Temple next Thursday February 20 from 2 to 4. Vicky will host something in the common house from 4 to 6.
Kerry passed out a list of the monthly cleaning teams. There will be dedicated cleaning supplies.
New study group, Senior Study Group, Sat Feb 22 at ~10:30 after cafe. . Considering topics documenting important information , understanding ss & med, health directives, wills, estate planning, housing as we age. Bringing in expert guest speakers when we can find them.
Linda would will need a ride to Carol's service & would like to see a carpool.
Book club, Feb 28 Friday, 7:00 pm movie "Night Bitch", for females & non-binary.
3/13 - 3/16 Thirteen guests.from national cohousing group staying at common house and individual homes. Sponsored by Fund Raising; cohousing group will be donating. Will need volunteers to pick up and drop off at airport.
March 13 Thursday night, 6 to 9 pm community potluck & storytelling time around the topic of community..
March 14, Friday night dance, $5 donation. Appetizers, finger food.
Community Governance - Pluses and Deltas - What's working & what could change
Our past & current governance model is consensus. It has worked well when we have applied it well. We are still here!
When committees are doing well, they keep the community from bogging down with details of small decisions. We've had some healthy committees recently. We have to be able to trust committees in the areas they have been given responsibility. Transparency helps with trust.
Management recently has been very good at handling our money, looking for opportunities to keep costs down & to use our money to make money.
Nature is a part of the community. The community has gone through difficult problem solving to keep nature in our community.
Lots of activities, s[ending time with each other.
Shelter.
Solving problems that are inherited.
Pluses of Consensus
- Able to hear from everybody.
- Hold back your opinion to listen.
- Have open & healthy relationships, honor each other.
- Group-based decision making
- Need healthy relationships for consensus to work. Get tribal otherwise.
- Budget process this year felt good. Felt heard.
- Consensus pushes you to be creative.
- Focus less on individual preferences and more on what you can tolerate, letting go of needing to have things your way.
- Non-hierarchical and interested in involving everyone.
- Consensus recognizes that everyone's opinion counts.
- Need to be open to changing your opinion. We ask people to keep an open mind while listening to others rather than making up your mind first.
Delta. Gossip affects the person being talked about even if they don't hear it, and it affects everyone else.
Delta. There are many different forms of consensus. Many/most(?) cohousing communities use some form of consensus, but with variants. We could look at other concensus models.
Delta. Are we educating residents adequately on how it works?
Delta. Not perfect.
Delta. What is a block valid?