“You did not verify whether the car was actually obstructing anything?”
“Our driver followed the paperwork.”
I looked toward him.
“Did he take photographs?”
Curtis paused.
“Usually.”
“Can I have copies?”
“You’d need to request them.”
“I’m requesting them.”
He became less friendly.
“Have your lawyer contact us.”
That sentence irritated me enough that I decided perhaps I should.
By the time I reached the hospital that afternoon, I had slept four hours and spent $385 recovering a car removed from property I owned. My charge nurse, Diane, took one look at me and asked whether I was sick.
“HOA.”
She nodded solemnly.
“Worse.”
Work helped.
For twelve hours I dealt with problems that made Cynthia feel very small.
Chest pain.
A broken wrist.
A teenager with appendicitis.
An elderly man confused after a fall.
By midnight, I had nearly forgotten the tow.
Then I checked my email.
SECOND NOTICE OF VIOLATION.
Cynthia had added a $400 “emergency compliance assessment” for obstruction of community access.
Total alleged balance:
$650.
I laughed in the break room.
Diane looked over.
“You okay?”
“My neighborhood has declared war.”
“Sell.”
“I like my house.”
“Then win.”
That turned out to be the better advice.
The next morning, I drove directly to the offices of Crestline Community Management, the company contracted to handle Cedar Ridge’s accounting and records.
A woman named Sandra Ellis met me.
I showed her the first violation.
Then the towing authorization.
Then the second assessment.
Her expression changed several times.
“Where did you get this form?”
“The tow company.”
She examined the HOA letterhead.
“This isn’t one of ours.”
“Meaning?”
“Cedar Ridge does not have an emergency compliance assessment.”
I leaned back.
“Good start.”
Sandra logged into the management portal.
My official ledger showed something interesting.
No $250 fine.
No $400 assessment.
Nothing.
“The notices didn’t come through our system,” she said.
“Who created them?”
“I don’t know.”
“Cynthia?”
“Possibly.”
Sandra looked increasingly uncomfortable.
“The board president does have limited ability to issue courtesy warnings, but formal violations are supposed to be sent through management after review.”
“She mailed these herself.”
“So it appears.”
I pulled out my copy of the bylaws.
“What about the community-service rotation?”
Sandra stared.
“The what?”
That was satisfying.
She searched meeting records.
December board minutes mentioned a discussion titled Neighborhood Volunteer Support Initiative.
No vote.
No resolution.
No mandatory rotation.
No fines.
No labor requirement.
The minutes simply stated that Cynthia suggested homeowners volunteer to assist elderly residents, help during community events, and coordinate snow assistance for people physically unable to shovel.
I read it twice.
“That’s very different.”
“Yes.”
“Cynthia turned this into residents shoveling her driveway.”