We have the highest number of HOAs in the nation which I think, just compounds the problem of affordability. Recently our HOA approved the purchase of $3000 trash cans. I don't think they cost that much. I also find a common high dollar item in other HOAs - envelopes. They charge us $5 per envelope when doing mailings to the community. That doesn't include postage.
I encourage you to attend meetings periodically to keep an eye on your money. What I find is that the board is made up of inexperienced people and sometimes power-hungry. Vendors take advantage of this situation and overcharge and underperform. For example, my HOA approved a camera system to make the community feel more safe. I asked who is going to monitor and analyze the recordings in the event of a crime. Our already complaining, task-saturated property manager said he will. He also provided 3 quotes but aggressively pushed the most expensive option. The HOA went with the most expensive option. In the course of installation the laptop that was used to control access to the gate was stolen. No police report, no intention to report. I asked why wasn't there a police report? Property mgr said no need the camera vendor will reimburse. So I asked there was a crime and no report? Isn't it ironic that the HOA wants a camera system to assist in prosecuting crimes? He tells me no worries, he was a security manager at Macy's and he tried to explain to me how the internet worked (he has no industry certs nor academic and didn't understand the conceptual OSI layers).
I left and resigned from the board.

https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/05/08/former-property-manager-pleads-not-guilty-647000-embezzlement-case/