OTOH:
I lived for several years in a rather quiet gated community that had private streets, its own water supply from two wells, and of course an automatic gate.
There were a handful of freeloaders who felt “entitled” and refused to pay for water, for upkeep, and for the electricity that powered the gate and the sole street light, even though dues were a mere $50 a month, including unlimited (not metered) water!
What could we do? One freeloader who refused even to pay the connection fee to the water system, we went out one Sunday morning and cut the pipe to his house. It was our only alternative.
Your experience is the other end of the spectrum.... good on y’all for taking care of it!
In my neighborhood of 100 houses, there’s no mandatory HOA (and the way things got set up back when the houses were built, there’s no way to make it mandatory).
There’s a voluntary $20 a year for a gardener to come and trim the shrubs at the corner of the residential street and the larger street.
Every January the unofficial HOA guy puts flyers out announcing a cleanup day; the residents go out and do a leaves etc cleanup in that entry corner.
A rolling group of 30 households paying $20 each is enough to cover the upkeep.
Simple and no fuss no muss.