“What you see as Junk I see as Money” Car Lot in Louisa Addressed at Louisa City Council Meeting
BILLY MARCUM addresses Louisa City Council after getting a citation from Louisa Code Enforcement for what he calls a car lot that others claim is a junk yard.
By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor
The Louisa City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening, March 14.
During the meeting the council appointed Kate Cecil as a new member on the LC Tourism Committee.
The council also approved a controlled burn of a house near the city’s new sewer site for fire department training.
A meeting will be scheduled to go over some numbers on the new budget for the upcoming fiscal year and the council is looking to review pricing for the 2026 Louisa Swimming Pool season.
Council woman Rose Lester said she does not want to see the price increase if she has to give her council salary to make up the difference because going to the pool is the only thing some of the kids have and it shouldn’t be a hardship.
Lester also brought up the ongoing golf cart issue.
‘I’m already getting calls about kids on golf carts,” Lester said.
Lester is referring to kids she said could not be of legal driving age and look to be around 10-11 years old. Last year the council adopted an ordinance stating in order to be on public streets golf carts can only be operated if they are street legal with a city sticker and operators must have a valid driver’s license. They are also prohibited even if they are street legal on state roads as the main street in Louisa (Madison Street) is considered state road.
Lester suggested writing letters to the parents when the kids are seen because the child’s safety comes first and maybe the parents aren’t even aware because they are at work.
Another issue brought up at the meeting was a lot full of cars located behind D&J’s Tobacco that is run by Billy Marcum, but owned by James Marcum.
According to Teddy Newsome who is over City Code Enforcement, he has given Marcum two warnings before issuing him a $100 fine. Billy Marcum came to the meeting stating his cars are not junk, but that they are cars for sale.
Some of the complaints from citizens state that it looks like a junk yard as Billy is known for owning junk yards and he allows weeds to grow up around the vehicles.
They complain that it is an eyesore and the location of the lot full of cars is on Madison Street where people driving the main street through town will see it.
Marcum fired back saying all his cars were not junk that what others see as junk he sees as money.
He expressed to the council that he felt like he was picked out of several others in the city who also have places that were even more unsightly than his on the same street.
Citizen and former city council member Jeff Kinser agreed on that point stating at the intersection of Madison and Main what used to be a gas station is also an eyesore and the city has never cited or even said anything to the Clevengers who own that property with old trucks parked there and weeds all around it.
Both the Council and Billy came to an agreement that they would revisit the issue when Billy obtained his business license to sell cars and until then he has to clean it up.