St. Cloud repeals ‘No Mow May’ ordinance after tall grass wreaks havoc

ST. CLOUD – The St. Cloud City Council on Monday night voted unanimously to repeal a “No Mow May” ordinance because the tall grass this spring wreaked havoc on equipment and provoked complaints from across the city.

The ordinance, which was passed last year as a way to help protect vulnerable pollinators in the spring, temporarily suspended the city’s rule prohibiting grass or weeds higher than 10 inches.

St. Cloud was among a number of cities across the state to take part in “No Mow May” in recent years to allow flowering plants to bloom — providing pollinators with nectar and pollen — and tall grasses to give shelter to bees and butterflies.

But last year, when the City Council implemented the ordinance, Minnesota was in a significant drought. This year, St. Cloud more than doubled its normal precipitation in April, leading to rampant vegetation growth amid the milder-than-average temperatures.

“‘No Mow May’ may have been fine when we didn’t have a lot of snow and May didn’t come until June. But when May came in February, it makes it a little bit of a challenge,” St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said in June when he first recommended the City Council consider repealing the ordinance. “We’ve had a hard time finding contractors that are willing to go out. It’s damaging to equipment.”

Council President Jeff Goerger agreed that the ordinance, which originally had a sunset date of June 1, 2025, was a mistake — and said residents were not shy about letting him know.

“I’ve been on the council for a lot of years and the number of phone calls and complaints I got this year on tall grass has to rate in the top 10 of the most controversial issues I’ve dealt with in 18 years,” he said.

Council Member Carol Lewis said though she originally supported the ordinance, she thinks residents are abusing it.

“Some [lawns], you need to have a scythe to go and chop it down first because it is so high,” Lewis said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it that bad.”

Participating in the ordinance was voluntary. In recent years, some cities promoted “Less Mow May” instead as a way to allow for a bit of pollinator-friendly growth without unkempt lawns taking over neighborhoods. And some pro-pollinator organizations now suggest there are better ways to help pollinators thrive such as waiting to rake leaves in the spring and planting native plants.

Council Member Jake Anderson, who last year suggested the city promote “Low Mow May” instead of “No Mow May,” said Monday that many residents aren’t paying attention to what the City Council is doing and likely wouldn’t have known about either ordinance.

“They see a bunch of fields and they see a bunch of lawns not being mowed and ... they may think, ‘Well, we can just let our grass go nuts,’” Anderson said, noting he supported repealing the ordinance. “Hey, we tried and we failed and we’ll move on.”