Elmhurst Rapper Would Likely Welcome Proposed Mowing Rule

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst committee is recommending letting residents hold off on mowing until after Mother's Day.

The change would likely please a local rapper.

If the City Council takes the committee's advice, it would follow the examples of Naperville, Lombard, Glen Ellyn and Villa Park.

In July 2024, aldermen Karen Sienko and Michael Bram requested that the committee look into the matter.

Under the proposal, code enforcement officers would temporarily suspend enforcement of the grass-height rule until after Mother's Day.

"Clear guidelines would help distinguish intentional participation from neglected or hazardous conditions," the committee's memo said. "Properties would still be required to remain free of trash, invasive species, rodent harborage and visibility obstructions."

The policy adjustment would probably be welcomed by resident Jim Hodapp.

A few years ago, the 70-something man would rap during council meetings as he pleaded with officials to let his grass grow and declare his property a natural preserve. He was fined for violating the grass-height rule.

He proposed that his property be called "Wildflower Lawn National Park."

"It would be the smallest national park in America," Hodapp said. "I have a beautiful yard, which has a lot of prairie plants in it and wildflowers, and I'd like to save it."

The City Council is set to vote on the committee's proposal Monday.