CoOpVillages Articles, Part II
Required Work & Personal Income top of page
Of great concern to residents are the questions: “How much time would I have to work?”, “Will everyone have to work the same amount of time”, “Would I have to share my pension” and “What happens if someone refuses to work?”
These issues would be decided by the entire community itself through three of its twelve Focus groups, being:
1. How will we share our abundance?
2. How will we enrich ourselves?
3. How will we coordinate what we enjoy doing?
But in the meantime, simple answers are offered here as to how the Focus groups might resolve these issues in the early startup stage.
However, before these questions can be answered residents would need to understand several factors about the village economics, that being:
Factor #1 Transition Periods: It will take time to get residents to go from “each man for himself” mode of thinking to “What’s in the best interest of all concerned?” mindset. It will take time to go from the current cash culture to a self sustained cashless culture. It will also take perhaps ten years for startup, that being financing the construction and land acquisition and then to payoff that financing, before the village is truly running as envisioned.
Factor #2 Cash Requirements: At startup a great amount of cash will be required to purchase land and building materials. Success of the village will always be at risk as long as outside parties (banks) have a mortgage on the property. Therefore it would be wise to raise as much cash as possible from the residents and at the same time prioritize paying off any third party financing as soon as possible, insuring that the community land trust will be free to manage the property for hundreds of years as envisioned. After startup a small amount of cash will be required for some utilities and other outside services the community simply cannot provide for itself.
Factor #3 Limited Pensions: Some residents will come into the community receiving pensions, annuities, Social Security, or passive business income. It is probable that after 30 years no resident would have these income streams.
Factor #4 Room & Board: Each resident would be expected to provide the cash or cash equivalent to pay for their share of the land, infrastructure and house. Each resident would also be expected to provide the cash or cash equivalent (labor) for their living expenses.
Factor #5 Time Cards: Initially an accounting office would track payments made and time worked by residents. After all property has been paid for and the village has shifted its mindset successfully this function might cease.
Factor #6: The Focus Group “How do we coordinate what we enjoy doing” would attempt to assign jobs in accordance with our personal likes, thus we would enjoy the tasks assigned and not feel like we were working. This Focus group would also do all it could to coax residents to socialize and at the same time perform additional efforts on behalf of the community that only outsiders might consider work.
Possible Solution #1 Purchase Money: The first issue would deal with the “purchase money” needed to pay for a resident’s share of the land, house and infrastructure. Cash would be needed to pay outside vendors for the land and materials. Village Companies could be formed so that residents without the up-front cash could perform outside work. This job might be for 20 hours a week for three or four years until the debt is paid.
Possible Solution #2 Living Expenses: Each resident would have to contribute for their share of food, utilities, property taxes, etc. Because cash would be needed mainly in the formative years, those with cash incomes might be able to provide cash, at a pre-decided rate, instead of performing work. Those without an income would be required to work a village job, internal or external, for perhaps 20 hours a week, forever. This might be in addition to the temporary “purchase money” job some would hold.
Please note that in a short period of time the “purchase money” job would be eliminated. Also note that in time those with outside cash incomes would die off so that eventually no one would be in a position to cash themselves out of performing work.
Some residents may be exempted from work due to inability to perform any type of work. The village may allow an elderly family member in that fits this description, as we all may be in time. However, even physically disabled residents might be able to answer phones or snap peas. Again, all of these issues would be decided by the community through its Focus groups.
Possible Solution #3 Personal Income: If a resident has cash income more than his share of living expenses, he should be allowed to keep that excess. Remember that in time this disparity will go away through attrition.
Possible Solution #4 Work Refusal: In the event that the Focus groups cannot get a resident to perform his required work then the community could decide to refund his purchase money and perhaps provide additional help to get him established to live elsewhere. The refund amount would be as pre-defined in the Community Land Trust Bylaws. This would not be an act of ill-will towards that resident, but rather a recognition that some persons might not adjust to this way of life and would be happier elsewhere.
Communism? top of page
Isn’t the CoOp Village concept just communism? In a nutshell, No. Communism is a strong Central Government in control of your entire life.
A CoOp Village is a corporation that the members hold equal shares in. That corporation serves all of the people. You live on its land in a corporate maintained home. It provides your health and nourishment.
If you tire of having boiled okra for daily breakfast you have four choices. You can cook your own breakfast from food you purchased yourself, vote to change the menu, move to an okra free cluster farther over or you can sell your stock back and move out of the Village. You will sell at an established price agreed to by all members before joining. You can then get a free crew and Village truck to help you move your possessions to another Village or into the surrounding region with your nest egg. Now does that sound like Communism to you?
Required Work & Personal Income top of page
Of great concern to residents are the questions: “How much time would I have to work?”, “Will everyone have to work the same amount of time”, “Would I have to share my pension” and “What happens if someone refuses to work?”
These issues would be decided by the entire community itself through three of its twelve Focus groups, being:
1. How will we share our abundance?
2. How will we enrich ourselves?
3. How will we coordinate what we enjoy doing?
But in the meantime, simple answers are offered here as to how the Focus groups might resolve these issues in the early startup stage.
However, before these questions can be answered residents would need to understand several factors about the village economics, that being:
Factor #1 Transition Periods: It will take time to get residents to go from “each man for himself” mode of thinking to “What’s in the best interest of all concerned?” mindset. It will take time to go from the current cash culture to a self sustained cashless culture. It will also take perhaps ten years for startup, that being financing the construction and land acquisition and then to payoff that financing, before the village is truly running as envisioned.
Factor #2 Cash Requirements: At startup a great amount of cash will be required to purchase land and building materials. Success of the village will always be at risk as long as outside parties (banks) have a mortgage on the property. Therefore it would be wise to raise as much cash as possible from the residents and at the same time prioritize paying off any third party financing as soon as possible, insuring that the community land trust will be free to manage the property for hundreds of years as envisioned. After startup a small amount of cash will be required for some utilities and other outside services the community simply cannot provide for itself.
Factor #3 Limited Pensions: Some residents will come into the community receiving pensions, annuities, Social Security, or passive business income. It is probable that after 30 years no resident would have these income streams.
Factor #4 Room & Board: Each resident would be expected to provide the cash or cash equivalent to pay for their share of the land, infrastructure and house. Each resident would also be expected to provide the cash or cash equivalent (labor) for their living expenses.
Factor #5 Time Cards: Initially an accounting office would track payments made and time worked by residents. After all property has been paid for and the village has shifted its mindset successfully this function might cease.
Factor #6: The Focus Group “How do we coordinate what we enjoy doing” would attempt to assign jobs in accordance with our personal likes, thus we would enjoy the tasks assigned and not feel like we were working. This Focus group would also do all it could to coax residents to socialize and at the same time perform additional efforts on behalf of the community that only outsiders might consider work.
Possible Solution #1 Purchase Money: The first issue would deal with the “purchase money” needed to pay for a resident’s share of the land, house and infrastructure. Cash would be needed to pay outside vendors for the land and materials. Village Companies could be formed so that residents without the up-front cash could perform outside work. This job might be for 20 hours a week for three or four years until the debt is paid.
Possible Solution #2 Living Expenses: Each resident would have to contribute for their share of food, utilities, property taxes, etc. Because cash would be needed mainly in the formative years, those with cash incomes might be able to provide cash, at a pre-decided rate, instead of performing work. Those without an income would be required to work a village job, internal or external, for perhaps 20 hours a week, forever. This might be in addition to the temporary “purchase money” job some would hold.
Please note that in a short period of time the “purchase money” job would be eliminated. Also note that in time those with outside cash incomes would die off so that eventually no one would be in a position to cash themselves out of performing work.
Some residents may be exempted from work due to inability to perform any type of work. The village may allow an elderly family member in that fits this description, as we all may be in time. However, even physically disabled residents might be able to answer phones or snap peas. Again, all of these issues would be decided by the community through its Focus groups.
Possible Solution #3 Personal Income: If a resident has cash income more than his share of living expenses, he should be allowed to keep that excess. Remember that in time this disparity will go away through attrition.
Possible Solution #4 Work Refusal: In the event that the Focus groups cannot get a resident to perform his required work then the community could decide to refund his purchase money and perhaps provide additional help to get him established to live elsewhere. The refund amount would be as pre-defined in the Community Land Trust Bylaws. This would not be an act of ill-will towards that resident, but rather a recognition that some persons might not adjust to this way of life and would be happier elsewhere.
Communism? top of page
Isn’t the CoOp Village concept just communism? In a nutshell, No. Communism is a strong Central Government in control of your entire life.
A CoOp Village is a corporation that the members hold equal shares in. That corporation serves all of the people. You live on its land in a corporate maintained home. It provides your health and nourishment.
If you tire of having boiled okra for daily breakfast you have four choices. You can cook your own breakfast from food you purchased yourself, vote to change the menu, move to an okra free cluster farther over or you can sell your stock back and move out of the Village. You will sell at an established price agreed to by all members before joining. You can then get a free crew and Village truck to help you move your possessions to another Village or into the surrounding region with your nest egg. Now does that sound like Communism to you?
