Public shaming by an unofficial HOA

Hello,
We live in a little street in St Louis. We do not have an “ official” HOA, only a volunteer Treasurer and self-appointed President who moved in 1.5 yrs ago. They have been manipulating and harassing some of us to fork over $1800-$2000 to pave our street and put a lip only on one side because many of them have new homes poorly built on a slope and get excess water in their backyards. These are 800k+ homes. No official bids have been shared, only a few neighbors consulted, never a meeting held or official finances from our fund shared in 12yrs but they plan to use the dues balance to help pay. Meanwhile our annual dues are $50 which is what we signed up for ( yes, I know it’s extremely low but that’s irrelevant). We are having a first time meeting and I asked only for a beginning balance and how much we spend on snow plowing and how much will be on reserve for emergencies. If they plan on hiring a Storm Water Engineer ( which the town of Ladue insists when changing the blue print of a street to re-direct water) Last night I received a threatening Email stating since I haven’t responded or contributed but asking for financial information, they will publicly share this information including the names of those with unpaid dues, how much they owe, who has contributed/not paid for this paving project?!! So, basically causing a war on our street and humiliating those of us who cannot afford to pay. Do I have a keg to stand on? Can they legally share this personal info with everyone?? What can my response be to stop them? I’ve read through discussions regarding this topic but they’re for official HOA’s. PLEASE HELP!! Thank you!!

AlisonW, on further thought, you really need to confirm that you are not legally obligated to contribute to the little street's maintenance. I have a nodding acquaintance with your neck of the woods, with its charming (and expensive) well-maintained homes and lawns built like 60 to 100 years ago (with matching "restrictive covenants" that today, do not survive the Fair Housing Act? snob snob, I know). I would research carefully whether you may in fact be legally obliged to help maintain the road. I am confident the question has come up a lot in the town where you are, given its age. I have doubts the City of L---- is obliged to maintain the street.

Imposing a special assessment on a specific project is not a fun thing to do. The outlay of cash is going to be dependent on the number of units in the complex. The larger the number, the easier of the pain, the smaller complex will bear more pain.

I have no problem shaming those who don't contribute. I know there are hardships out there, but your can't take away a non-payer's egress and right of way due to non-payment.

I am an advocate of Public Shaming. That said, I also understand there are/can be legal dangers in doing so thus my advice is do not do it.