City leaders in Washington say one of the busiest corners of their town has turned into an eyesore: a parking lot overflowing with trash, furniture, and old tires directly across from Washington High School.

Now, frustration is growing as the city waits for a court hearing before it can force a cleanup. Business owners say enough is enough.

“We’re doing everything we can legally do. We just can’t go on the property and start moving stuff,” said Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess.

Burgess says the spot at 308 Jefferson Avenue has turned into a junkyard that they can’t legally touch.

“I hate it whenever I hear people say, ‘Why are you letting him be there?’ We’re not letting him be there. If we were letting him be there, he would have a permit that says, ‘OK, you can be there.’ He doesn’t have that.”

The business, Hauling and That, moved in this summer. But by August, the mess had gotten out of control, and so had the complaints.

The city filed 10 citations against the property owner and the business owner, ranging from nuisance vehicles to unapproved solid-waste collection. Those citations also come with a daily fine.

“He’s calling me, telling me, ‘Will you work with me?’ No, I’m not going to work with you. I need you to get into compliance with what we say the rules are here in the city,” Mayor Burgess said.

“It’s definitely not a good look. We take a lot of pride in our shop, and having that across the street is definitely not good,” said Johnny Interval, owner of Barbiere. “It’s right across the street from the school. It’s just a bad look for the city in general, you know what I mean?”

The mayor says the mess stems from the owner never securing the proper permits or zoning approvals, something the city says it warned him about early on.

As the community watched the trash pile grow, the safety concern also grew.

“I’d hate for a kid to go get into that mess and find something and get hurt,” Mayor Burgess said. “That’s why we issued the citations. That’s why we’re going in front of the magistrate.”

A hearing is set for Nov. 25.

If the judge rules against the business owner, the fines could escalate quickly, and the city could eventually be permitted to step in and remove the debris.

Washington State (5-5) at No. 21 James Madison (9-1), Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. EST.

BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: James Madison by 13.5. Against the spread: James Madison 7-3, Washington State 6-4.

How to watch: ESPN+

Key stats

James Madison Offense

Overall: 457.3 yards per game (19th in FBS)

Passing: 215.7 yards per game (83rd)

Rushing: 241.6 yards per game (7th)

Scoring: 37.1 points per game (14th)

James Madison Defense

Overall: 257.1 yards per game (5th in FBS)

Passing: 168 yards per game (13th)

Rushing: 89.1 yards per game (7th)

Scoring: 16.2 points per game (11th)

Washington State Offense

Overall: 309.9 yards per game (119th in FBS)

Passing: 199.4 yards per game (96th)

Rushing: 110.5 yards per game (119th)

Scoring: 20.7 points per game (115th)

Washington State Defense

Overall: 304.1 yards per game (18th in FBS)

Passing: 168.9 yards per game (14th)

Rushing: 135.2 yards per game (49th)

Scoring: 21 points per game (34th)

Washington State ranks 102nd in third down percentage, converting 35.9% of the time. James Madison ranks 10th on defense, allowing its opponents at convert at 30.2%.

Washington State ranks 123rd in the FBS with a -9 turnover margin, compared to James Madison’s 67th-ranked even margin.

James Madison is 132nd in the FBS averaging 69.8 penalty yards per game, compared to Washington State’s 64th-ranked 53.5 per-game average.

Washington State is 15th in FBS in red zone offense, scoring on 92.9% of trips.

Both teams rank high in time of possession. James Madison is 2nd in the FBS with an average time of possession of 35:09, while Washington State’s 18th-ranked average is 32:11.

Team leaders

James Madison

Passing: Alonza Barnett III, 2,089 yards, 16 TDs, 5 INTs, 61.6 completion percentage

Rushing: Wayne Knight, 840 yards on 136 carries, 7 TDs

Receiving: Landon Ellis, 532 yards on 32 catches, 5 TDs

Washington State

Passing: Zevi Eckhaus, 1,390 yards, 10 TDs, 8 INTs, 64.0 completion percentage

Rushing: Kirby Vorhees, 473 yards on 105 carries, 4 TDs

Receiving: Josh Meredith, 588 yards on 44 catches, 3 TDs

Last game

James Madison won 58-10 over Appalachian State on Saturday, Nov. 15. Barnett led James Madison with 303 yards on 22-of-35 passing (62.9%) for no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 11 times for 0 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Jobadiah Malary carried the ball eight times for 105 yards and scored three touchdowns. Jaylan Sanchez put up 69 yards on two catches.

Washington State won 28-3 over Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 15. Eckhaus led Washington State with 146 yards on 17-of-25 passing (68.0%) for one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 56 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Vorhees had 76 rushing yards on 16 carries and one touchdown, adding two receptions for 12 yards. Meredith put up 70 yards on five catches with one touchdown.

Next game

James Madison plays at Coastal Carolina on Nov. 29. Washington State hosts Oregon State on Nov. 29.