- Access is never compensation ### Basics - **Community Choses How To Serve**: the community is free to support any service, luxury, or accommodation as long as all members have access to it (housing, utilities, food, transportation) - **Personal Autonomy**: The community cannot stop individuals from interacting with the outside world in any way (external employment, religion, consumer) - **Community Undertakes External Work Contracts**: The community as an entity can accept external contracts that generate income for communal purposes. Which members contribute to fulfilling these contracts remains entirely voluntary, with no obligation or direct compensation. The work benefits the community treasury rather than individuals directly, maintaining separation between contribution and personal gain. - **Membership Status**: All resources available to all members in good standing. Some luxury resources might be withheld from member's in probationary standing - **Voluntary Contributions**: All resource sharing (labor, money, supplies) are genuinely volunteered no schedules or quotas - **Contribution Recognition**: Contributions impact civic score (social standing), is not usable as currency or compensation - **Governance Voting**: Civic scores may determine voting weight but not resource access - **Resource Distribution**: Access to food, housing, utilities must be based on membership, not specific contribution - **Member Review Process**: Accountability through community-initiated review process, not performance metrics - **Non-Employment Relationship**: No schedules, no compensation, no defined obligations beyond membership ### Executive Summary This document outlines a legal framework for establishing a community living arrangement that maximizes autonomy, fairness, and collective resource sharing while remaining outside traditional economic systems and their associated regulatory burdens. The model uses a dual-entity structure to separate voluntary contributions from property rights, creating a legally sound firewall between labor and compensation. This approach offers significant `quality-of-life improvements` while `dramatically reducing living costs`. ### Core Legal Framework #### Dual-Entity Structure ##### Entity 1: Mutual Aid Collective - **Legal Form**: Unincorporated association protected under First Amendment freedom of association - **Purpose**: Facilitate voluntary community service, resource sharing, and cultural governance - **Key Features**: - No employment relationships - No wages, stipends, or credits - No scheduled obligations or quotas - Transparent contribution tracking for cultural recognition only - Community deliberation and decision-making ##### Entity 2: Land Stewardship Entity - **Legal Form**: Community Land Trust (non-profit) or Member-Managed LLC - **Purpose**: Hold and manage physical property - **Key Features**: - Owns land communally - Provides 99-year renewable ground leases (plus life of current occupant) - Housing access based on membership status, not work performance - Democratic governance with possibly weighted voting rights - Transparent waitlist system for new members #### Critical Legal Firewall The separation between these entities is crucial for legal compliance: - Services and labor contributions remain fully `voluntary` - `Access` to housing and resources stems from membership status - No specific contributions and specific benefits - Separate governance mechanisms and documentation ### Community Land and Housing Structure #### Land Allocation System - **Structure**: Community entity retains land ownership with members receiving long-term leases - **Housing Options**: - Variable density zones (city center, mid-density pods, low-density areas) - Common infrastructure with individual dwellings - First-come-first-serve options for certain areas (e.g., trailer spots) - **Legal Implementation**: - 99-year ground leases renewable for life of occupant - Improvements owned by members or by community entity - Clear separation from contribution system #### Internal Housing Market - **Transfer Mechanism**: Lease reassignments rather than property sales - **Pricing Structure**: - Formula-based pricing to maintain affordability - Limited equity model with community transfer fee (0.5-2%) - lease is transferrable only to community members with `community first right of refusal` - **Tax Advantages**: - Avoids property transfer taxes through lease reassignments - Potential for lower property tax assessments - Possible non-profit exemptions depending on structure #### Membership Accessibility - **Variable Buy-in Levels**: - Sliding scale contribution options - Sponsorship mechanism for economic diversity - Clear separation from membership privileges - **Waitlist System**: - Transparent position tracking - Community facilitates new development when aggregate waitlist resources exceed trigger ### Community Governance System #### Civic Recognition System - **Purpose**: Acknowledge contributions without creating employment-like obligations - **Implementation**: - `Transparent` tracking of diverse contributions (time, skills, resources) - anonymized community feedback regarding contributions show how many people say you're under-contributing vs. over-contributing - Tenure-based voting weight (e.g., # increment per year up to # years, maximum #:# ratio) - Interact with [[contribution market system - village living|contribution market system]] prior to quarterly planning to pledge non-binding contribution for planning purposes - Not used to determine resource access #### Community Accountability Process - **Structure**: Member-initiated review rather than automated enforcement - **Process**: - Any member may bring concerns about another member's community fit into public discussion - Subject member has right to defend with supporting testimony - After public discourse, community-wide vote determines outcome - Multiple factors considered beyond contribution metrics - Based on community relationship, not performance evaluation #### Automatic Dissolution Trigger - **Implementation**: Bylaws provision for automatic suspension of specific communal access to services or even sale of the trust assets. - **Mechanism**: - Triggered if #% of community are underperforming for more than #+ months - **Safeguards**: - Clear verification process - Possible brief pause mechanism requiring supermajority to halt - Asset preservation trust option ### Mutual Aid Systems and Economic Benefits #### Collective Resource Sharing - **Major Expense Categories**: - Housing (30-40% savings through shared ownership, elimination of profit margins) - Food (substantial time savings through collective preparation) - Transportation (50-70% financial savings through higher utilization) - Healthcare (group purchasing power for improved access) - Utilities (economies of scale for renewable infrastructure) - **Logistics Optimization**: - Centralized resources reducing transit time - Estimated 240-360 hours annually reclaimed per person - **Overall Impact**: - ~$20k annual household savings - ~22 weeks of time reclaimed annually #### Community Lending Function - **Structure Options**: - Revolving loan fund for member financing - Zero-interest membership loans - Promissory note system structured as "buy-in contributions" - Participatory financing with direct member sponsorship - **Legal Safeguards**: - Maintain distinction from commercial lending - Separate financing agreements from membership status - Clear documentation of member-to-member structure ### Taxation and Regulatory Compliance #### No IRS Taxation Because: - No employment relationship exists - No wages, stipends, or barterable credits - Services shared collectively, not traded - Labor voluntary, unscheduled, non-quantified in compensatory way - External vendors appropriately taxed #### No DHS Employment Mandates Because: - No employer-employee relationship - No hiring or compensation for labor - Housing and participation not tied to compensation or income - No I-9 or SSN requirements for community participation ### Critical Vulnerability Areas #### De Facto Obligation Risk - **Risk**: Cultural expectations becoming effectively mandatory - **Mitigation**: Maintain genuine voluntariness, avoid language of requirement - **Legal Analysis**: Community accountability through "trial" system rather than automatic metrics strengthens voluntary nature defense #### Access Contingency Risk - **Risk**: Implicit connection between contribution and resource access - **Mitigation**: Establish clear separation, focus on membership status not metrics - **Legal Structure**: Membership-focused model rather than residence-focused model provides stronger separation #### Employment Classification Risk - **Risk**: Activities resembling employment relationships - **Mitigation**: No schedules, no payment, no formal roles - **Documentation**: Clear language emphasizing voluntary nature of contributing money or taking [[task system - village living|tasks]] ### Implementation and Growth Strategy #### Start Small and Scale - **Initial Formation**: - Create both entities with minimal membership - Transfer seed property to Land Stewardship Entity - Establish governance systems before scaling - **Growth Strategy**: - Clear communication of vision and economic benefits - Phase-based expansion with core committed group - Waitlist management with transparent processes #### Community Building and Outreach - **Communication Tools**: - Visual master plan showing different density zones - Economic analysis highlighting household savings - Digital presence with clear explanations of structure - Informational events and workshops #### Development Timeline - **Phased Approach**: - Land acquisition and initial infrastructure - Agricultural development (CSA model) - Housing zones development - Expansion of collective services - **Community-Driven Planning**: - Pre-purchase agreement on 5-year development plan - Democratic process for prioritizing projects - Balancing immediate needs with long-term vision ### Appendices #### Sample Language for Key Documents - Mutual Aid Collective Formation Agreement - Land Stewardship Entity Operating Agreement - Community Membership Agreement - Civic Recognition System Guidelines - Community Accountability Process - Dissolution Trigger Mechanism #### Legal Precedents and Case Studies - Existing communities using similar structures - Relevant court cases and regulatory decisions - First Amendment protections for voluntary associations