Documents
Founding Documents
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What We Believe
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Altair's Consensus Agreement
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What We Believe November, 2004 We at Altair are forming a cohousing community built around the following objectives: • A diverse community providing the opportunity for all generations, economic levels, and religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds to live together in supportive relationships. • Where the architectural design promotes a comfortable balance between community interaction and privacy • Where attractive homes and common facilities will be designed on a model that is ecologically sound, emphasizing moderate consumption, resource sustainability, and horticulture. Planning for the Village at Altair is guided by the following values. We believe that trust and respect are fostered in an active community (or neighborhood) environment. • The village is solely governed by its residents in a non-hierarchical model. • Rather than majority-rule, decision-making is a group process in which all present must consent before action is taken. • Because everyone has a piece of the truth, this method can help spread power throughout the whole group. NOTE ~ It may sound new and strange, but it is an old and proven governing model that can be learned … and it works!
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What is Consensus?Adopted February 2000 The goal of the consensus process is to reach a decision with which everyone can agree, without resorting to the win-lose decision-making process of voting. As a group process, consensus requires that each person places a higher priority upon the good of the group as a whole, with personal needs and wants being secondary. Proposals and decisions should be evaluated in terms of whether they are consistent with the stated goals and values of the group. Consensus does not necessarily mean unanimity. A group can proceed with an action without having total agreement. In the event that an individual or small group cannot agree with a given proposal and is blocking consensus, the facilitator may ask if the individual(s) are willing to “stand aside” and allow the group to act, or if they feel so strongly about the issue that they are unwilling for the group to act. If the individual(s) agree to stand aside, their disagreements can be noted in the minutes of the meeting, and the group is free to act on the decision. Blocking or “standing in the way of” a decision is used only when individual(s) feel that what is happening is going to have disastrous effects for the group (not for personal disagreement). If the individual(s) are not willing to stand aside, and state that they block action on the proposal, it becomes their responsibility to work for a compromise or substitute agreement. The group will try to resolve all concerns by discussion, compromise, and other nonviolent conflict resolution methods. In trying to resolve a blocking situation, a proposal can be tabled, to be revisited at up to two subsequent meetings. If the group feels that a block is in accordance with the group’s stated goals and values, the block stands. If not, it is declared invalid, and the group can act on the decision. The group agrees that in the event of a block, it will reevaluate the definition of the consensus process and the group’s understanding of the process.
