I have seen to many HOA’s devolve into petty tin horn tyrannies.
Which is why I will never live in one again. One, who was friends with a guy who sold doors, passed a rule that all members had to buy a certain door of a certain color in a few months or be fined the cost of the door plus fees.
My cousin refused, and they drove him out.
Egggzacly! Populated by the "I really want to feel important even though I'm not types".
An HOA near us started to use tire boots on vehicle’s tires if the owner broke their parking rules. Can you imagine coming out your front door to find your tire booted?
http://krqe.com/2014/12/10/homeowners-association-boots-residents-on-city-streets/
I’m in a semi-rural area, but to gain standing with the county we had to form a Neighborhood Association. This was to solve a single issue regarding a guy selling water (we’re all on wells). It was a good sign that nobody wanted to be president, so we cut cards. Once the problem was solved, we ended the association.