The Grapevine Prairie Garden

Updated 5/5/25

Well, apparently the City of Grapevine, Texas thinks so. A common practice for gardeners this time of year is to clear up garden beds and mulch around new plant growth. They either buy the mulch in bags from a big box store, get it delivered from a supply yard, or sign up for something called “Chip Drop” which connects people with tree companies looking to avoid taking their mulch to the landfill.

I recently got a chip drop from a tree company and was working through the pile to re-mulch my entire yard.

Well, my case for high grass and weeds was dismissed last Wednesday, but then Thursday 4/10, Code Enforcement cited me for having “rubbish” in my front yard i.e. the mulch in my driveway.

The Timeline

Thursday, April 03 – Code visits my house and takes a picture of the pile

Tuesday, April 08 – Code revisits my house and sees the pile again

Thursday, April 10 – Code mails me a citation

Monday, April 14 – The citation arrives

Tuesday, April 15 – Write to Code Asking for Clarification

Wednesday, April 16 – After getting no response for 24-hours I reach out again.

What follows is the email chain documenting my interactions with code:

Wed April 16 – email to the City – 9:00AM
Good morning Mr. Adams,

I am writing again because it has been 24 hours since I wrote to you asking for an explanation regarding Cause 00861-01. In order for me to get into compliance, I am asking for guidance. Please answer the basic question:

1) What do I need to do to be in compliance?

And the follow up to that:

2) Why was no notification given prior to it going to citation?

Same Day – Response from Officer Adams – 10:23AM

Good morning, Mr. Yatko. you were issued a notice in January of 2025. That notice is good for one year. You subsequently removed the violation. On April 03, 2025 you again had more rubbish in your front yard, I did not issue a citation at that time hoping you would remove the rubbish. I did a reinspect on April 8, 2025 and the rubbish remained. At that time I had no choice but to issue you a citation. Because of your unwillingness to keep your property free of code violation. Please have a bless day and if you remove the violation please let me know and I will update the case.

Response to the City – 11:43AM

Good morning Mr. Adams,

Thank you for responding. There’s quite a bit to unpack in your message, but I think it’s worth going through—especially for the sake of clarity moving forward.

Back in January, you sent me a notification letter under the same heading. I asked for clarification at the time, but neither you nor your supervisor, Ms. Marohnic, replied. If I happened to remove the alleged “rubbish” back then, it was sheer coincidence—not the result of any actual guidance from the City.

I also take issue with your assertion and respectfully disagree with the claim that I am “unwilling to keep [my] property free of code violation [sic].” I have always shown a willingness to correct violations within the bounds of the code. But if you don’t explain the nature of the violation, how am I supposed to know what’s wrong?

So, just to be clear this time: when you say “rubbish,” are you referring to the mulch pile in my driveway that I’ve been actively working on? If so, please note that I’ve been steadily moving it since April 3rd. Even before I received the citation letter, I had set a personal goal to have it completely cleared by Friday, April 18th—ideally before the next round of storms rolls in. To be extra safe, you’re welcome to check back on Monday, April 21st.

If this is not about the mulch—or is about the mulch and something else—please let me know what that “something else” is.

You once suggested I should make peace with my neighbors about my yard. But as long as anonymous complaints are accepted for enforcement, I’m not sure how to do that without knocking on every door and asking, “Was it you?” It’s not exactly a recipe for neighborly goodwill, is it?

This mulch was delivered to help improve the front yard—something I’ve been working on almost daily. In fact, before the citation arrived on Monday, I had already started chalk-marking the pile to track my daily progress (see photo below). If you stop by before it rains again, you’ll see those marks for yourself.

Lastly, I’ll be honest: I’m tired of walking on eggshells. I never know what’s going to trigger the people who seem to have it out for my yard. As long as the City continues to act on anonymous complaints, I’ll be at the mercy of cowardly neighborhood bullies—and you’ll continue spending City time and resources on things that could have been resolved with a simple conversation. Given our history over the past two years, I’d really appreciate more direct communication going forward. A heads-up or a quick conversation would go a lot further than another surprise letter in the mail.

Best regards

Tim Yatko

Response from the City 2:34PM

I’m sorry Mr. Yatko you cannot have anything that would be considered rubbish on your property, especially within “public view”. If you had place the rubbish and debris behind your fence, and no one could see it, that would be acceptable. I’m confused as to the misunderstanding. If you wish, I can meet you at your residence and clarify exactly what the violations are, if that would better help you to comprehend what ordinances you are violating. Please let me know, I don’t wish any further misunderstanding, and after we meet you can be clear of what is acceptable for the City of Grapevine. Thank you. 

2nd Response from City 3:54PM – the Code officer’s supervisor

Good afternoon,

The citation concerns the accumulation of mulch in a trailer that has been parked in your driveway for most of April. This situation is classified as a recurring nuisance and is in violation of Section 12-111 of the Code of Ordinances.

The image 35588_39691_IMG_0915.jpeg was taken on April 3.

The image IMG_0969.jpeg was taken today.

Best,

Erica Marohnic

Response to the City – Thursday April 17 2025

Good morning Ms. Mahronic,

Thank you for your response yesterday—truly, all I’ve been asking for throughout this episode is clear and concise answers to my questions. I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to provide that clarification.

That said, I do want to respectfully push back on the idea that a mulch pile— intended for landscaping, and actively being used—should be classified as “rubbish.” I understand that you and Officer Adams are doing your jobs, and I don’t take issue with that personally. But the code you’re working from is, frankly, vague and outdated, and that creates a lot of confusion and unnecessary friction between residents and the City.

I’m not trying to be confrontational. It’s not in my nature. I know it might be easy to dismiss me as a troublemaker, but I’m someone who cares deeply about my property, my neighborhood, and sustainable gardening. And honestly, this continued scrutiny feels more like harassment than code enforcement. My neighbors have never once spoken to me about any of this directly—but it seems they’re content to have the City handle it on their behalf.

I’m glad to hear there’s movement on rewriting Section 12-111 regarding high grass and weeds. As you work on that, I strongly urge you to include language that clarifies mulch is not “rubbish.” Otherwise, we’ll end up in the absurd position of having to warn residents that Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s are selling code violations for $2.47 a bag. In my case, the mulch came from a local arborist—I let him drop it in my driveway rather than send it to a landfill. That’s a choice rooted in sustainability and beautification, not neglect.

I’ve already shared this recent incident with fellow gardeners and native plant advocates, and the general consensus is that this type of enforcement is not just heavy-handed—it’s counterproductive. I’d much rather spend my time gardening than constantly defending the legitimacy of organic, environmentally conscious practices.

I don’t blame the officers personally, but as the saying goes: to a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I hope we can find a better, clearer path forward—one that doesn’t punish residents for trying to do the right thing.

Sincerely,

Tim Yatko

Response to the City – Tuesday April 22 2025 @09:31AM

Happy Earth Day, Mr. Adams,

Not sure if you’ve been by. But here ya go. Finished on Friday.

Best,

Tim Yatko

Response from the City – From Code Officer Adams – 948AM

Thank you.