Common charges
Taxes, insurance, water, wastewater, roads, shared energy, internet, community buildings and reserves. Illustrative target: US$250–400 per membership per month, set by the real budget.4
Economics
Why sharing the expensive parts can work
The model lowers what each person must carry by building the costly systems once and sharing them, then keeps that advantage for future members.
Every figure on this page is a current planning assumption or an illustrative example. None is a price, forecast, fundraising target or offer.
The logic
Build once, share widely
| Traditional rural living | Settlement Zero model |
|---|---|
| Buy land individually | Land held by the cooperative |
| Pay for every system yourself: well, septic, power, tools | Shared water, energy, sanitation, kitchens and workshops |
| Maintain it all alone | Maintenance organised and funded in common |
| Carry the full cost of a large house | A small private home plus excellent shared facilities |
| Sell at market price when you leave | Redeem at a published formula so the next person can afford it |
Traditional rural living 
The Settlement Zero model
Launch budget
What it might take to open Site 001
The base-case planning model estimates about US$1.0 million to open with around 20 Pioneers.1
Living costs are part of the budget
The Year 1 figure above includes basic needs for about 20 Pioneers (roughly US$415–615 per person per month)3 plus a modelled stipend and payroll costs.
After membership
Ongoing costs are shared and published
Redemption reserve
A share of revenue is set aside so members can be paid out when they leave without destabilising the cooperative.
Open books
Budgets, reserves, material contracts and work-credit rules are intended to be visible to members.
Limited equity
Fair value out, affordability kept
Members should recover fair, defined value when they leave, without turning membership into a speculative asset. The formula is still being designed; these are the families under review.5
Indexed
Original member capital adjusted by a public index such as CPI or area income.
Fixed rate
A predetermined annual percentage increase.
Itemised
Eligible contributions and approved improvements adjusted under defined rules.
Limited appraisal share
A limited share of market appreciation, with most kept by the community.
Leaving
Leaving is planned for, not negotiated
The rules for leaving are published before anyone contributes cash or work. These are the current proposals; counsel will test each one.
1. Notice and statement
A member gives 90 days' notice and receives a written redemption statement within 30 days. Disputes go to an independent reviewer, not the board.
2. A predictable value
Cash and vested work credit, indexed to inflation up to 3% a year, plus approved improvements, minus unpaid charges. About US$30,000 after 8 years on a US$25,000 membership.6
3. Paid in order
A lump sum within 6 months when the reserve allows, otherwise monthly instalments over no more than 24 months. Cash from the next member goes to the departing member first.
4. Life events first
Death, disability and hardship move to the front of the queue. Vested value is never forfeited as a penalty, even after expulsion.
If it fails
A plan for failure at every stage
New settlements can fail. Each stage has published tests that force a decision, a defined wind-down, and a fixed order of payment.
| Stage | If it stops |
|---|---|
| Now: building interest | Nothing is collected except sign-ups and voluntary donations. Everyone is told, and their details are deleted within 90 days. |
| Before land | Any future member capital would sit in escrow and be refunded in full if the release conditions are not met by a set deadline. |
| Pioneer years | Reviews at months 6, 12 and 18 against water, permits, cash, people and safety tests. A reserve keeps Pioneers paid, fed and housed through 60 days' notice, and the huts are offered to the Pioneers living in them. |
| Operating settlement | Pause growth, cut back, restructure or merge with another cooperative first. Dissolving needs 75% of members. |
Who is paid, in order
- Workers' wages and payroll obligations
- Lenders, suppliers and taxes
- Members' cash and vested work credit, equally, as one class
- Anything left goes to another cooperative, land trust or nonprofit, never as a windfall to the last members
What these numbers are not
Read the figures for what they are
- Not an offer of membership, housing, employment or investment
- Not a forecast of returns: the model deliberately limits appreciation
- Not a fundraising target: no capital is being accepted
- Not final: every figure changes once a site and legal structure exist
Next
See who controls the money and the land
Economics only work with governance that keeps them honest.
Notes
- Base case of the Live Financial Model: about US$1,010,554 including a 3% financing allowance (corrected September 2026). A current planning assumption.
- Model scenarios range from about US$0.58 million (10 Pioneers, lower-cost assumptions) to about US$1.93 million (30 Pioneers, higher-cost assumptions).
- Illustrative basic-needs range from the Pioneer & Work-to-Own Framework: food, water, power, sanitation, internet, consumables, insurance and administration, per person, not per household.
- Illustrative common-charge target from the Pioneer & Work-to-Own Framework. The real figure depends on the site's operating budget.
- Formula families under review in the Pioneer & Work-to-Own Framework. The final formula needs legal and tax review.
- Proposed formula: CPI-indexed with a 3% annual cap. US$25,000 grows to about US$30,460 over 8 years at 2.5% inflation, or US$31,669 at the cap. Illustrative only.
- Planning assumptions for a 100-member settlement: 6% of members leave each year and about 30% of incoming value arrives as cash. The US$40 figure is illustrative.
- Illustrative range of about US$330,000–460,000 against the US$1.01 million base-case launch budget, using rough resale rates for rural land (80–100%), infrastructure (20–40%) and used equipment (40–60%). A planning assumption, not a forecast.