I used to live in a "development" that went as far to fine you for ridiculous things. Obviously my parents didn’t pay the $20 fine for having "Excessive dandelions in tree lawn" and the association knew they didn’t have a leg to stand on in court.
When it came time for "dues" my parents declined membership and appalled the snotty little community.
Life lesson: Most people are boring/bored. They will find any trivial drama to latch onto, any club or association to be a part of to validate their own existence. Doing so adds some sort of meaning or purpose to their otherwise mundane, purposeless existence. No joke. This is the root of petty office drama, trivial family drama, and of course… the problem at hand.