Authority Registry

Registered Authorities

Which roles, circles or bodies hold authority here — and what are the scope, limits and term of each?

RCOS clauses 4.3.1, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 4.3.4, 4.3.5

4.3.1 All authority MUST be assigned to explicitly defined roles, circles, or bodies.
4.3.2 Authority assignments MUST include:
4.3.3 No individual or body MAY exercise authority outside its explicitly assigned scope.
4.3.4 Authority MUST NOT be derived from charisma, seniority, ownership, or informal influence.
4.3.5 Temporary or emergency authority MUST be explicitly defined, time-bounded, and subject to review.

Why write every authority down?

Authority that is not explicitly registered gets filled in by default — by whoever has been around longest, speaks loudest, or controls the keys. A single registry that names every role, bounds its scope, caps its limits, and ties its basis to a delegation act makes unauthorized action detectable and prevents authority from being derived from charisma, seniority, or ownership.

How to fill this in

For each role, body, or circle that holds authority, list the scope of authority, hard limits, term/duration, and the basis (membership state, delegation act, etc.). The collective body of Full Members is itself an authority and belongs in this table.

Role / Body	Scope of authority	Limits	Term / Duration	Basis
<e.g. Full Members (collective)>	<scope>	<limits — cannot override invariants; cannot act outside Decision Matrix>	<duration>	<basis — membership state>
<e.g. Membership Admin>	<scope>	<limits>	<duration>	<basis — delegated by Full Members>
<e.g. Finance Steward>	<scope>	<limits — spending cap>	<duration>	<basis>
<...>	<...>	<...>	<...>	<...>

> Conflict-of-interest recusal: A role holder may not exercise their delegated authority in any decision where they have a direct personal interest. In such cases, the decision is escalated through the governance process.

> Authority must not be derived from charisma, seniority, ownership, or informal influence. > Temporary or emergency authority must be explicitly defined, time-bounded, and subject to review.

What to cover

Which roles, circles or bodies may decide anything? (The full members together are one of them.)
For each: what may it decide, and where does that stop?
For each: for how long does it hold that authority, and how is it renewed or ended?
Where does each get its authority from — never seniority, ownership, charisma or being a founder?
Which temporary or emergency authority do we allow, how is it time-bounded, and how is it reviewed afterwards?

Examples

The full members together decide what the Decision Matrix gives them, for as long as they are members. The finance steward pays approved bills and may spend up to €300 per item within the budget, for a two-year term, appointed by vote. The membership admin runs onboarding and exits but cannot admit anyone alone. Nobody holds authority because they founded the community or own land here. In an emergency any two stewards may act for up to 72 hours, and the next general meeting reviews what they did.

Examples, not recommendations. Your answers will be your own.

Authority Registry

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Registered Authorities

Ratification Record