By Ann Marie Shambaugh
Bryan Traylor thought it was a simple question, but the answer has been anything but that.
The Zionsville Town Councilor recently reached out to the Boone County Clerk’s office to see if it would be possible for him to temporarily move out of District 1 and retain his elected office while his new home is under construction, but it turns out the county has not encountered this situation before.
The Boone County Elections Board will meet June 19 to look at the law and determine how to handle the situation.
“It’s not a cut-and-dry, straightforward answer,” Boone County Clerk Jessica Fouts said.
Construction will soon begin on the family’s new home, which is in District 1, an area that includes mostly rural areas of north Zionsville. The family hasn’t had an offer on their current home yet, but buyers have expressed interest and Traylor thinks it’s likely the family may have to move out of it before their new home is ready.
“I brought it up because I started thinking if we sell our house before the new house is ready to move into and we have to seek temporary housing the options are pretty narrow in Union Township,” he said. “I wanted to know if I would be able to live in a different district while we finish the house.”
Traylor was surprised to discover that county officials didn’t have an answer for his question.
“It seems like this would’ve come up before, but no one could give me a solid answer,” he said. “All I really wanted was somebody to tell me what I could legally do, and I didn’t anticipate them calling a meeting.”
Whether or not Traylor moves out of the district temporarily, his desire is to live in District 1 long term.
“The opportunity came up to be able to build our dream home on a fantastic piece of property still in rural Zionsville, which is where I want to be,” he said. “It was too good an opportunity to pass up.”
