[Halon]

Pretty sure the seller is legally required to inform you of any assessments taking place. My mom just went through this because she was selling her house, and was legally required to inform the pending buyers that the city was "thinking" about repaving the road, and if it goes through it'll cost X amount of dollars. You should contact your realitor.

And this is normal for home owners. Associations and cities don't just pay for this kind of stuff. The home owners who live on that road are the ones who pay, whether or not you want it done. You can go to the boards and state your opinion during the decision making process, but if it passes, you're pretty much stuck paying.