Waukegan committee directs redraft of 'No Mow May' ordinance to include opt-in signage

The Waukegan Environmental and Sustainability Committee on Feb. 2 voted to ask staff to redraft a proposed voluntary 'No Mow May' ordinance to include a visible yard sign that residents can display to indicate participation.

The change aims to protect residents who choose to leave lawns uncut for a month for environmental reasons while allowing code enforcement to identify participating households. Committee discussion centered on reconciling the program’s voluntary nature with existing code enforcement responsibilities.

A committee member said the initial draft omitted a sign the council had requested; staff and other members confirmed the ordinance was intended to be voluntary and discussed adding language to require or authorize a participating yard sign. Members debated whether sign-based participation would eliminate the ability to enforce nuisance or safety rules; some members emphasized that enforcement powers should remain for clear violations while still recognizing voluntary participants.

Alderman Turner said, "I think we go with the signs," endorsing a sign-based opt-in as the preferred approach. Members discussed practical options for residents to obtain signs, including buying inexpensive signs online or creating their own, and suggested the ordinance should clarify how code enforcement would treat marked yards for the month of May.

By roll call (Alderman Felix, Alderman Turner and Chairman Florian recorded as voting 'Aye'), the committee approved the motion to have staff redraft the ordinance to include a sign-based opt-in and then present the revised ordinance to the full council for further debate.

The committee also approved routine minutes from its Jan. 5 meeting earlier in the evening. The next procedural step is for staff to produce the revised ordinance language for council consideration.