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Comment by beeboop | Hacker News Reader

Are you also concerned about your tax dollars paying for roads in the next neighborhood over?

The neighborhood developer paid for that. The roads connecting, donated many many years ago by the landowners at that time

Ah! - so the next neighborhood over has all-private roads, and the homeowners association there (not the government) pays for all snow plowing, crack & pothole patching, repaving, storm sewer work, etc. that might be needed?

Ah yes, the HOA. A group of elected people that can compel you to do things with your property, require you to pay a share every year or they take your home, and have the ability to fine you if you don't comply with the majority opinion. Very much not a government in any way!

I get the point you're making, but to the facts, that is quite literally how many subdivisions work, and least in the western US.

In my corner of Michigan, there seems to be a very clear dichotomy on this:

- Private developer builds a sprawling subdivision with plenty of nice wide roads and lots. (So a very large area of pavement per tax-paying property.) And turns the whole thing over to the city/village/township, to be their public road budget black hole forever more.

- Private developer builds a very compact little development, with houses (or condo's) packed in like sardines along a rather narrow and minimalist Private Road.

Good thing roads are permanently in working condition!

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