That sounds like a lot of money roker.
How big is the grass strip, how many residents contribute, how many times is it cut, who decides how to hire whoever cuts it?
When I was young there was a green belt in our estate that the council refused to cut one year and the residents association got together and cut it themselves. There was a few hours work in it for 10 or 12 people - it was a large odd shaped field - not like what you describe. Its a possibility for you instead of the 100 per resident (which seems far too much for one strip of grass).