The assembly reviewed the maintenance logs in the barn before the morning water check.
Ning spread the sheets across a low table. Each household had contributed through labor, records, tools, or meals. The trial rule had not asked everyone to do the same work. Mera asked whether new residents should vote on irrigation use now.
Hala supported a vote. “The lower channel users need a voice. It affects their fields as much as ours.”
An upper grower named Tovin was worried that new households would change the water shares before understanding the seasonal flow. “One week of readings doesn’t tell us what happens after a dry month.”
Ning proposed a limited first vote. The assembly could approve a shared repair schedule now, while water shares stayed unchanged until there were two full measurements at consistent times. The vote would grant authority over the work the households had already joined, not over the amount each field received.
Tovin asked whether the new households could vote if they had not completed a shift at the gate. Mera said they could contribute through the record, meal, or tools, but the contribution had to be confirmed by the household itself. A mother who had stayed with a sick child said she could not promise a meal shift each week. Noma replied that one documented meal could count for the trial; no one was signing a permanent duty. The woman agreed to help with one meal after the child recovered.
