You could buy yourself a scythe, it would take about 3 hours work to do a quarter acre with one but you will have to remove the cut material before you mow otherwise it will still be too much for the mower just as the whipped stuff is now.

Go to a tool rental shop and rent a tractor with brush hog

I have no lawn; I live in an HOA and discussed the benefits of my native habitat with it. I have no problem anymore. See my FB page for photos as they are public

I'm no help, your neighbor sucks, it's beautiful! I say maybe ask for help, barter? I would help you for Milkweed seeds.

I would mow an area surrounding the prairie so it appears not to be abandoned or neglected. I would plant a barrier of arbor vitae evergreens so the neighbors will not see your property. A privacy fence is what I put up as the first thing I did on my property after the plantings, but there is the financial aspects. No matter what you do, these neighbors will not be happy. But preventing them from having access to seeing your prairie Is a nice way of giving them the finger....so to speak. Check with your zoning regulations. Been there done that. I used my zoning regulations against them & for my prairie. Make it look like a garden by mowing a border around it until you decide what to do in the long run. Save parts of the prairie but make it look like a garden.

I only trimmed the grass when it started to tickle my knees. One year we had a plague of army moths - they would fly up from my straggly brown overgrown landscape and invade the neighbours pristine mowed and watered twice a week lawn where they would lay their eggs. On hatching the caterpillars would eat their way down to the roots leaving lovely random brown dead grass trails through his lawn to create a lovely contrasting pattern....

Can you keep some Milkweed in your gardens?

Have you looked into fighting the decision? There has to be an appeal process.

1/4 acre isn't much. Hire a lawn service for one cutting. Should cost about 40.00.

If it’s fenced in borrow a few smelly goats that will make your neighbors happy.