I know it CAN work...but how??

from my experience with these sorts of communities, as with any community, is that there are people that do not contribute, there are people that want to lead and take over/impose their ideas on others, and then there is always the money factor. Sustainability is the goal (living off the grid), yet it takes money (purchase of land/taxes, community start-up). How do you make it all work? Once it is in operation, who sets the rules, and how do you control (or do you?) who is in, and who is out? Do you try to protect the homeostasis of the community by balancing people's strengths?
I was, for a short time, involved in a community called The Dreamlodge-where people were allowed to come and go, though some stayed permanently. I stayed on the property in my own mobilehome so I had my own space. The first time I was there it was awesome, a great vibe/balanced/everyone contributing in the garden and meetings/mealtimes (all people were invested in the raw lifestyle). I then went to a festival, and returned to the Dreamlodge to find that things had totally changed. An "elder" had moved in, contributed some needed funds, and decided that the path of the community was going to be hindu/ayurvedic, which meant chanting and prayers, ghee ritual, and yoga in the nude. Not that any of these things are bad, but, not the same as I'd previously enjoyed. They also decided then that no one could have pets. And I had a dog (that everyone loved!) but I could not stay according to the "elder" (who had also inappropriately approached me sexually, so I was leaving anyway!)
Has anyone out there had a similar experience? Has anyone out there found a model for community that works? I know it can, and does, but I would like to operate in the tribal sense. I've also heard of the government getting in the way.