Updated September 2020

 

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BOARD PROCEDURES

 

VOTING BY DIRECTORS

 

Written Consent Ballot of the Directors of The Foundation

January 16, 1992; amended June 19, 2005

If possible, all votes of the Directors shall be held at meetings of the Board of Directors. If a situation arises such that an emergency vote of the Directors is required, the Secretary, on the request of the President or any Director, shall call a short emergency meeting of the Board of Directors to vote only on the issue. 

IF such a meeting is not possible, as a last resort, the issue shall be put in the form of a written resolution, to be voted on by the Directors. The President, Secretary, or appointee of the President shall then visit in person, call by telephone, or e-mail all the active Directors and read the resolution to be voted on. After consideration of this resolution, the Secretary shall prepare a document titled, Action Taken on Written Consent of the Directors of The Foundation, which shall state the resolution and the vote of the Directors, and which shall be signed by all the active Directors. Such document shall then be placed in the Minutes Book, after the minutes of the previous Board of Directors' meeting.

 

Directors Voting Policy 

January 16, 1992

The Directors shall not vote on a resolution until it is considered at two meetings of the Board of Directors, unless the Directors agree that it is necessary to vote on the resolution at the first meeting.

 

Spending Authorization Policy

September 30, 2020

Any expenditures by the board larger than $7,500 that are not part of an annual budget must get prior approval from a majority of the eligible voters. Expenditures eligible for approval may include a single piece of equipment, a portable building, or the total of labor and materials for a specific work project.

 

ELECTIONS

 

Election Policy for Directors and Membership Committee

August 31, 2016

The purpose of this policy is due to folks who find it difficult to attend the Meet the Candidates meetings. This will hopefully make it easier to run for election as well as give voters the opportunity to ask questions ofthe candidate through the email list or contacting the person directly. We wish to keep the election process vibrant and accessible to all qualified members.

 

• Candidate must announce their intent to run for election to the committee first (as stated in the "call for candidates" notice) as well as submit a letter of intent. Post your letter to the Farm email list (all points and other public places) and give to the Recording Secretary of the committee you are applying to a minimum of 48 hours prior to the polls opening. For example, if the polls open at 11am on Friday, then the candidate must have their letter posted no later than 11am Wednesday.

• Please include answers to the following questions:

State your name

How long have you resided on The Farm and what is your history with The Farm?

What are your reasons/intent to be on committee?

What qualifying experience do you have?

What do you feel you will bring to the committee?

What do you hope to accomplish, ie. goals, if elected?

 

Member Voting

March 14, 1991

The Board agreed that the procedure for future ballots of the members will be that the polling place

(Foundation office) shall be set up so that members will get their ballots in the entry room outside the

offices, that members shall have a private place to vote, that there shall be no “politicking” at the polling

place, and that the ballot box be set up in the inner office so that members can go in one at a time to cast

their vote.

 

Also January 16, 1992

(1) No “politicking” within 200 feet of the polling place.

(2) Members shall sign or initial the voting list upon receiving a ballot.

(3) The Ballot box shall be placed in a separate room so that the members can record and cast their

votes in privacy.

 

Also November 12, 1997

The Foundation By-law Article VII, 2.a.

“The voting members shall consist of Full Members who presently live in The Farm religious community nine (9) months of every year, and are otherwise entitled to vote in accordance with these

By-laws.”

The Directors present agreed in their informal discussion that the plain meaning of this bylaw is that a

Full Member, who is returning to the community after living somewhere else, must live in the

community for nine (9) months after returning before resuming to vote.

 

Poll Hours

The new voting policy is that the polls will be open on Thursday and Friday till 11:00 to 7:00

 

BIDDING

 

Projects Approved by the Board

date unknown, amended June 19, 2005

The Board agreed that when it approves a project and appropriates money for a project, the Board, if possible, will take at least two bids on the project and choose the contractor on projects over $1,000.

 

Bids for Contract Work 

The Board agreed that anyone doing contract work for The Foundation shall submit a fixed bid and not just an estimate to do the job.

 

SAFETY

 

Vehicle insurance

All vehicles driven on The Farm should be insured for liability with minimum amounts of $25,000 per person I $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury liability and $10,000 per occurrence for property damage liability (or $60,000 combined single limit).

 

Teenage Drivers

April 09, 1991

The Board agreed that a notice be posted that teenagers driving on the property should either have a driver's license or a learner's permit with a licensed driver in the front seat and a notice reminding members and residents that vehicles driven on the property must have liability insurance.

 

Fire Safety

August 14, 1996

The Board agreed that all public buildings, and buildings used by businesses should have, at least, one spigot with hoses connected (larger buildings need more spigots) both inside and outside the buildings.

 

Dog Bite Policy

June 18, 2019, updated Jan. 8, 2020

The Foundation board of directors recognizes Tennessee’s law concerning injury caused by dogs.

  If any dog that is uncontained or that has been known to exhibit unprovoked aggressive behavior* causes injury to a person or domesticated animal, the owner of that dog will be liable for all injuries to that person or animal in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee. Also, in this situation, the owner will be required to contain the dog immediately, as described in the paragraph below on community safety, and may be required to remove the dog from the property of the Farm Trust according to item 4 of the Process for Handling Dog Bites.

  For community safety, the board recommends that all dogs on Farm Trust property be contained either in a home or other building, contained in a fenced area capable of securing the dog, or on a leash at all times. The board also recommends that dog owners secure insurance that covers liability for their dog, either with a homeowner’s policy or renter’s insurance.

Dogs shall not be brought to public gatherings or events, unless restrained on a leash.

 

*American Humane Society definition: Aggressive behavior by a dog is defined as threatening harm to an individual by snarling, growling, snapping, barking, or lunging.

 

Process for Handling Dog Bites

 

The board of directors will establish an advisory committee known as the Dog Incident Team. This committee will be chosen by the board and consist of two members who are dog owners, two members who are not dog owners, and one board director. The purpose of this committee is to review reports of aggressive behavior by dogs and make recommendations concerning this behavior to the board.

 

[1] The person making the complaint about a dog bite or aggressive behavior:

[a] should attempt to alert the dog’s owner (s) about the incident

[b] submits a written report to the secretary of the board of directors. When possible, the report should be submitted within 14 days of the incident. The report should include the date and description of the incident and the owner’s response. If there is no other witness to the incident, the person is encouraged to take a photo of the dog in order to provide positive identification.

 

[2] The board will review the report and give it to the Dog Team to investigate. The Dog Team will investigate the incident to determine whether any action should be taken. They will give their recommendation concerning the incident to the board

 

[3] The board may decide to have the dog removed from the community unless it determines that the dog was properly secured, was provoked, was protecting its owner from attack, or was protecting the owner’s home from unpermitted entry. If this is the dog’s first aggressive action, the board may decide to notify the dog owner of this aggression and recommend the owner take steps to protect against further aggressive acts.

 

[4] If the board determines the dog meets the criteria for aggressive behavior (and did not fall under the exceptions in item 3), it will notify the dog owner that the board will initiate removal of the dog from Farm Trust property, unless within 24 hours of the notification the dog owner can provide plans to locate the dog outside the property.

 

MISCELLANEOUS PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES

 

Posting Board Minutes

January 24,1991, amended June 19, 2005

The Board agreed that the Recording Secretary would post a summary of the approved Board minutes after every two (2) meetings.

 

Decision of Board Requiring Further Action

January 16, 1992

When a decision requiring further action is made, a Director or other person shall be appointed to carry out this action. The name of the Director or other person appointed shall be recorded in the Minutes.

 

Attendance at Quarterly and Annual Meetings

All quarterly and annual meetings of the farm community are, by default, open to non-members. If, because of the sensitive nature of some specific content, any member wants to exclude a non-member for a portion of the meeting, that member may request a simple majority vote of those members present to either exclude or include that non-member in that portion or portions of meeting. If any meeting is closed in this manner, a sign will be posted at the front door.

 

Requests Submitted to the Board

August 07, 2002

Due to the unreliability of using second hand information, the directors agreed that first hand

information be required in requests for consideration.

 

Grant Requests

May 02,1996

All business and nonprofit organizations located on The Farm Community, must submit copies to the

Board of Directors of The Foundation of all grant requests for projects on or affecting the community.

 

Review of Budgets and Reports

April 03, 2002

The Directors agreed to set specific dates to review budgets and reports. It was agreed that The Farm manager's budget and reports would be reviewed at the second Board meeting following the end of each Quarter.

 

Transfer of Foundation Assets

May 01, 2002

Notices regarding the transfer of Foundation assets will be mailed to the members, and a period of 14 days will be allowed for the community to respond to the notice.

 

Adjustments to Loan Interest Rates

From 09/13/2012 meeting

When the Board notifies The Foundation book keeper that they have granted a house loan at an interest rate lower than that on any other outstanding house loans, The Foundation book keeper shall automatically lower the rates on all outstanding house loans and notify the borrowers.

 

Policy for Passing on of Equity

January 14, 2004

A provisional, full, or permanent member can will the "equity" in their home(s) and house site(s) (less

any property liens) to their child, children, or other beneficiaries.

If the member dies without a will, the "equity" will pass on to the next of kin, or if there is no next of kin the "equity" will pass to The Foundation. If the beneficiary(ies) is (are) provisional, full, or permanent members(s) they can take possession of the house(s) and house site(s) and claim the "equity" as their own, providing they meet all other requirements for maintaining a house or house site in the community.

If the beneficiary(ies) or next of kin is not a provisional, full, or permanent member, they will be granted three years to apply for provisional status. If, after three years, they decide they do not wish to become a member of the community, they must sell the "equity" to a provisional, full or permanent member or to The Foundation, when a fair and reasonable offer is made to purchase the "equity” and all other provisions for maintaining a house or house site are met by the purchaser.

 

Also July 2019: 

Updated to allow beneficiaries three years to gain provisional status.

 

Security issues regarding members

August 15, 2000

For security issues regarding members, the Security Committee reports to the Membership Committee. For other issues, the Security Committee is to report to the Board of Directors.

 

Sanctuary

The Foundation By-laws, Article VII, 3.c.l.

Membership Committee: Duties:

“It shall establish the standards and practices for handling requests to visit The Farm, requests for sanctuary, and requests for information;”

 

Also April 04, 1996

" ... our policy on 'sanctuary' cases is that the person must have a sponsor who is responsible for the person at all times."

 

Housing Committee

February 18, 2004

The BoD empowered the Housing Committee to get involved in rental housing issues.

 

Name Usage

October 09, 2002

Phil Schweitzer made a motion to create a policy requiring approval by The Foundation's Board of Directors in order to use "The Farm" name in a business name or subsidiary enterprise of a business. The motion was seconded be Michael Lee, and unanimously approved by the Directors present.

 

EVENTS

 

Sponsoring Events That Invite People to the Community

January 23, 1992

All events sponsored by groups or individual members shall be presented to the Board of Directors for approval sufficiently before the event so that the Directors can make an informed decision. Decisions shall be made on a case-by-case basis. All events approved must have liability insurance and provide for maintenance and cleanup during and after the event, and provide for security during the event.

 

Alcohol, Drug, Drug Paraphernalia, and Tobacco Policy

It is the policy of The Foundation, The Farm School, and The Farm Education/Conference Center that merchants allowed to sell goods on the property of The Farm Community during conferences, festivals, or other times, shall not sell alcohol, drugs, "drug paraphernalia," or tobacco products on the property of The Farm community, Lewis County, Tennessee. Anyone found selling or delivering any of these items on the property of The Farm community shall be immediately expelled from the property, and may be further prosecuted.

Tennessee law includes in its definition of drug paraphernalia "objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, such as: (1) Metal, acrylic, glass, stone, or plastic pipes, with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowl; (2) Water pipes; (3) Carburetor tubes and devices; (4) Smoking and carburetion masks; (5) Chamber pipes; (6) Carburetor pipes; (7) Electric pipes; (8) Chillums; (9) Bongs; and (10) Ice pipes or chillers."

In determining whether an object is “drug Paraphernalia,” an arresting officer considers the existence and scope of legitimate uses for the object in the community. Possession or sale of drug paraphernalia is a Class A misdemeanor. Sale or delivery of drug paraphernalia to a minor is a Class E felony.

 

Also September 03, 2003

The Board agreed that large-scale events needed to be approved by the Board to minimize conflicting events and confirm vendor policy.

 

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PETITION GUIDELINES

 

Specify the action you are requesting (community meeting, vote, direct action of the board or other committee).

 

When requesting a vote, specify the ballot item as you want it to appear on the ballot.

 

Before collecting signatures, bring the petition to a representative of the appropriate committee to make sure that your petition is actionable as it is written. Petitions about members should be submitted to or will be forwarded to the Membership Committee. Petitions about land use should be submitted to or will be forwarded to the Land Use Committee. Other petitions should be submitted to or will be forwarded to the Foundation Board.

 

Any petition will get your request on the agenda of the appropriate committee and a response and may also get you a meeting with the appropriate committee or get your request granted.

 

All petitions will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within a week and notification of action within a week after the second meeting.

 

Petitions in Our Bylaws

Petitions are only mentioned in three places in our bylaws and are not mentioned in any

existing policies beyond their mention in the bylaws.

 

1. ARTICLE II. (Members' Meeting), item 2 states that" ... the Board of Directors

shall call a special meeting of the members upon the written request of 15% of the

members."

 

2. ARTICLE VII (Membership), item 9 (DISCIPLINARY INQUIRY), sub-item

d (review) states that "If brought within 2 (two) weeks of any decision of the

Membership Committee not resulting in expulsion or revocation of membership, a

petition containing the signatures of 15% of the Full Members will be sufficient to

bring the decision of the Membership Committee to a meeting of the members of the

Foundation."

 

3. ARTICLE XIII (Land Use), item 2 (Land Use Committee) states that "The purposes

ofthe [Land Use] committee shall be to prepare and revise the land use plan, to

review petitions for revisions to the Plan, to approve or disapprove of actions

submitted for review in accordance with the plan, and to submit plan revisions

and variances to the membership for approval at annual or special meetings of the

organization.

 

 

The Farm Foundation Board of Directors Claim Resolution Process

Occasionally members of The Farm Foundation make claims to the Board of Directors for financial damages resulting from an action taken on behalf of the Board. This process outlines a series of steps to resolve such a claim.

 

I. The claimant makes a formal request for restitution from the Board complete with an itemized accounting of the damages and receipts where applicable and available.

 

2. The Board discusses the claim and denies, accepts or proposes an alternative to it.

 

3. The Board communicates their decision, in writing, to the claimant.

 

4. The claimant accepts the Board's decision and the Board makes the agreed restitution, or

 

5. The claimant requests a meeting with the Board.

 

6. The claimant and Directors meet and agree to a restitution and the Board makes the restitution or:

 

7. The claimant chooses mediation by:

a. An outside mediator,

b. A mutually agreed upon small group of members, or

c. The membership committee.

 

8. One or more designated Directors, the claimant and the arbitrator meet and settle the claim and the Board makes the agreed upon restitution, or

 

9. The Board and claimant meet with a professional arbitrator and the Board makes the arbitrated restitution.

 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION PRINCIPLE

Agreement to Resolve Conflicts within the Community

We, the people of the Farm community, agree that we are all unique human beings that differ from each other in uncountable ways. We further agree that our differences can. make us smarter as a community. When a disagreement arises, we commit to process our conflicts quickly and compassionately. To facilitate this, we agree to stay current with each other by irrst bringing any conflicts we have to the person with whom we are experiencing the problem. If this doesn't work, we agree to call in a mutual friend to help facilitate the dialogue. If that doesn't work, we agree to call in an experienced mediator(s) to help us process the conflict. If that isn't successful, we agree to a facilitated small group meeting (with the group most related to the conflict) to help us get to a peaceful resolution. If all that has still not worked, we agree to a full community meeting to help us process our conflict and reach a positive solution.

 

 

 

RENT/DUES OBLIGATIONS

 

Minimum Requirements for Young Adult Residents

October 05, 1992

(1) All 18-, 19-, and 20-year-old residents, except high school students, shall pay 20% of the current membership dues per month or perform five (5) hours of community service per month. In cases of need, waivers shall be considered.

(2) All 21-, 22-, and 23-year-old residents shall pay 40% of the current membership dues per month. These dues may be paid 20% per month in cash plus 5 hours community service per month. In cases of need, waivers shall be considered.

 

Dues for Members Under 24

August 15, 2000

After reviewing the By-laws on the issue, it was unanimously agreed that all full members under the age of 24 would be required to pay a minimum of half of the current full dues amount, as stated in the Amendment to our By-laws, Article VII, 7.c., 6.a.

 

Dues for Ages 18-23

by Ballot of the Members of The Foundation, Ratified April 08 , 2005

All residents, members, and non-members, between the ages of 18 through 23, will pay one-half of the minimum dues required. Non-payment of these dues will accrue as a lien against the house they are currently residing in.

 

Financial Obligations for Family Care Recipients

We understand that community residents may need to bring family members here to live with them in order to receive support and care. We encourage these family members to contribute a full dues each month to our budget to help defray expenses, but because we acknowledge the challenges associated with their care, the contributed amount will be voluntary.

 

Guest Dues

March 29, 1994

Beginning June 01, 1994, non-resident or part-time resident members of The Foundation may maintain control and "equity" of their house in the community by paying, at a minimum, a monthly membership dues payment per house-site equivalent to 1 full membership dues. Every person who moves into a

house of a non-resident or part-time resident member shall also pay full membership dues/rent, or, if a young adult, young adult dues/rent.

 

Fees on Non-Resident Member Homes

Maintenance Fee: The maintenance fee is a fee assessed any Full Member who departs residence in the community temporarily or permanently and retains control of their dwelling place.

 

Empty House Fee: Sometimes there are unoccupied houses on The Farm managed by non-resident members or managed by resident members that reside in another house on The Farm.

To encourage all site holders to rent any house they hold but do not occupy, the Board has agreed to assess an empty house fee for any empty house. Any member, resident or non-resident, that holds one or more sites they do not occupy shall be responsible for one minimum dues per site for that house.

 

Unpaid Dues Liens Against Home “Equity”

May 10, 1995

The Board approved that this letter as follows, be sent to all residents of the community and all nomesident members who maintain a house in the community:

The Board of Directors request that all members insist that people staying in their houses or out buildings pay their community dues/rent.

It has always been our policy that any unpaid community dues/rent incurred by someone living in your house or out-buildings will be charged to you should you sell the possession and "equity" in your house. If the number of people who pay increases, our dues can either go down or be used to make more community improvements.
 

Also February 18, 1998

Dues/rent owed from residents or members is also the responsibility of the person in whose house they are living, and is a "lien" on that person's "equity" in the house.

 

Also August 15, 2000

It has been the policy that if dues are not paid by anyone 24 years of age or older, that the delinquent amount negatively affects the "equity" of the house they are living in at the time the payment is due.

 

Updated by Joel to reflect Trust language: 6/11/15

Dues/rent owed from residents or members is also the responsibility of the site holder in whose house they are living and is a debt to The Foundation, that if not paid prior to the site holder's transfer of the site, shall be paid to The Foundation by the transferee (new site holder) as part of the site transfer fee, before the transferee pays the remaining site transfer fee to the transferor.

 

Order Of Payments Credited

May 02, 1996

From now on, any member owing a monthly payment to The Foundation for possession and "equity" interest in the house in which s/he is living, who also owes membership dues or other debts to The Foundation, shall have any payments to The Foundation, first, credited towards membership dues and other debts to The Foundation, before being credited toward the purchase of the possession and "equity" interest in the house.

 

Back Dues Notices

June 19, 2002

The Directors unanimously agreed to send notice to the person who incurred the back dues debt first, before notifying the "equity" owner of the house that the lien would effect.

 

(Three sample letters were approved for mailing)

(1) To notify a resident or member of their back dues debt to The Foundation and to inform them that a lien has been placed on the person's house that they have been living in. This letter was amended to specify the amount of their debt that was incurred while living in the person's house the lien will apply to.

(2) To notify a home "equity" owner of their back dues debt to The Foundation, and to inform them that a lien for that amount has been placed on their house.

(3) To notify home "equity" owner(s) that a lien has been placed on their house as a result of someone failing to pay dues while staying in their house.

 

MEMBERSHIP FEES

 

Membership Fee - Returning Members

February 15, 2000

Regarding-returning members who have partially paid their membership fee: "members are to pay the difference between what they have paid and the $3,000.00."

 

Policy on Work Exchanges for Membership Fees

March 9, 2017

The Board will consider requests for work exchanges or exchanges in kind for all or part of a member's membership fee if this request is made before any work is done. The work or in-kind exchange must also be for previously approved infrastructure development or a nonoptional budget item. Any work done for The Foundation will be considered as taxable income to the member, and any work or in-kind exchange will be subject to the Board's oversight.

 

VISITOR FEES

 

Midwife Couples/Families 

The Board agreed that couples staying in the community to have a baby be The Farm Midwives have a one (1) month waiver of rent, and any additional time they remain in the community they shall be charged the current membership dues per person as rent, in addition to any other rent they may be paying.

 

Also August 15, 2000

It was noted that birthing couples have not been required to pay the $1.00 per day fee that other people coming to visit The Farm pay. It was recommended that the midwives, as their sponsoring entities, be responsible for collecting this fee. (Note: Fee increased to $1.50 on 08/06/03)

 

Bed Tax/Overnight Fee

January 21, 1998

$1.00/person/night "bed tax” shall be charged all paying overnight visitors with the proceeds to be used by the Economic Development Office. This "bed tax" and use of the proceeds shall be reevaluated after one (1) year. (Note: Fee increased to $1.50 on 08/06/03, and $2.00 on 3/1/2015)

 

Bed Tax on Event Attendees

April 08, 1998

A visitor fee of $1.00/person/day ("head tax") shall be charged all paying overnight visitors and all day visitors to paid events. This fee does not apply to events already scheduled and prices already advertised. (Note: Fee increased to $1.50 on 08/06/03, and $2.00 on 3/1/2015)

 

Visitor/Guest/Intern Fees

Meeting prior to April 04, 2000

The Board agreed that the following are current policies:

(1) Visitors may stay as long as one (1) month paying $1.00 per day.

(2) Extended visitors staying longer than one (1) month pay full dues/rent after one (1) month.

(3) Ecovillage internships are for a four (4) to six (6) week period, paying $1.00 per day. When an intern becomes Ecovillage staff, slhe pays full dues/rent.

(Note: Fee increased to $1.50 per day on 08/06/03, and $2.00 on 3/1/2015)

 

Visitor Overnight Fee

Meeting prior to April 04, 2002

Visitors may stay as long as 1 month paying $1.00 per day. Extended visitors staying longer that one (1) month, pay full dues/rent after one (1) month. Ecovillage internships are for a 4- to 6-week period, paying $1.00 per day. When an intern becomes Ecovillage staff, s/he pays full dues/rent.

 

Increase of Visitor Fee

August 06, 2003

The Board voted to increase the Visitor Fee from $1.00 to $1.50 per person, per day (and $2.00 on 3/1/2015).

September 03, 2003

The Board confirmed that dues/rent for young adult extended visitors are to be assessed at the age appropriate amount.

 

New Visitor Fee Policy

Visitors pay the bed tax rate for 45 days; after that they pay at least one minimum dues per month per person with the exception of people here under the midwife agreement.

 

 

WAIVERS

 

The Foundation By-laws

Waiver or Adjustments of Membership Fees Dues, or Rents: On recommendation of the Membership Committee or on its own motion, the Board of Directors may based on individual circumstances, waive or adjust an individual's membership fees, dues, or rent. The Board of Directors may put such waiver or adjustment to a vote of the members.

 

Process for Waivers

February 15, 2000

The policy regarding waiver of dues is that waivers are granted by the Board for hardship on a case-by-case basis. The Board considers recommendations from the Finance Committee and/or the Membership Committee for hardship waivers.

 

Time Frame for Waivers

August 15, 2000

The process for granting a waiver of dues was discussed. The group agreed that tying the waiver to a specific time frame would create a more systematic policy. At the end of the time frame, the waiver would terminate or, if requested, could be reviewed for continuation.

 

VISITOR POLICIES

 

Guest Departures

October 30, 2017 

The Farm is home to several businesses and organizations ("Host Business") that host short-term guests, visitors, interns, volunteers and apprentices ("Guests") as part of their operations and community outreach. As a result, The Foundation Board has decided to adopt the following policy on what should happen if one of these guests is asked to leave:

If any Host Business on The Farm determines that one of their Guests should leave, then the Guest must depart The Farm at that time. For example, a Guest may be asked to leave for lack of respect or honesty, or not adhering to The Farm's bylaws, which prohibit firearms and violence in all forms. Under these circumstances, if the Guest wishes to return to The Farm at a later date, they will need to first contact the Membership Committee to make necessary arrangements. If a Guest is asked to leave by the Host Business, do not interfere with their departure.

 

 

INSURANCE

 

Insurance on Vehicles

1/10/2013

The Foundation BOD wants to remind ALL residents of on the Farm, who have a vehicle (golf carts excluded), that in accordance with the state of Tennessee, car liability insurance with policy minimums of $25,000/$50,000/$25,000 is required. While these are the absolute MINIMUM requirements, a safe amount of coverage is in the $100/$300K range.

The BOD would also like to remind everyone that John Schweri is now the Foundation insurance point person. If you have an insurance question, you can contact John at: jschweri@hotmail.com

 

LAND USE

 

HOUSING/HOUSE SITES

 

House Sites 

New house sites shall be approved by the LUC.

 

Drain Fields

June 19,2001

Any drain field to be installed for any new house or any existing house must follow Lewis County requirements and process.

 

Rental Housing Inspections

June 18, 2003

The Board authorized the Housing Committee to order rental house inspections from a Board-approved inspector, and agreed that The Fmmdation would pay the inspector and then bill the landlord.

 

Cutting Trees

April 25, 1995

It is okay to cut trees in your yard, but consult your neighbors if they may be affected, such as cutting a large tree or one on your common boundary. Consult with the Land Use Committee before you cut trees not in your yard.

 

LAND USE/MAINTENANCE

 

Land Alteration

May 02,1996

All individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations located on The Farm Community must submit requests to the Land Use Committee regarding use or alteration of·land located in the community.

 

Land Alteration

Ballot Vote, June 1996

To effect changes to our land anywhere outside one’s yard (yard is defined as up to 150 feet in any direction from the principal dwelling of a house site or office or principal building of a business), the following steps shall be taken:

1- Develop and present to the Land Use Committee (LUC) a written proposal covering the project and its environmental impact.

2- Post written notification for the community as a whole to review for at least 10 days.

3- Obtain written LUC agreement to proceed.

4- To effect major changes within one’s yard that will create visual and/or ecological impacts e.g., removing trees, clearing large areas, adding trailers or large outbuildings, connect with neighbors about the plan before proceeding.

 

Wild Lands Sanctuary. 

All of The Farm’s property to the north and east of Cox Branch, up to and including its headwaters, shall be permanent, undevelopable wildlife sanctuary. 

 

Vehicles 

All motorized vehicles, except farming equipment, will remain on pre-existing maintained roadways. All motorized vehicles will stay off the Wild Lands Sanctuary except for the purpose of repair, restoration, or patrol.

 

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous waste, such as gasoline, used motor oil, paints, and paint thinners should be stored in closed containers for proper disposal and kept from spilling onto the ground, causing possible contamination of ground or surface waters.

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