Incorrect federal flood maps may put voters at the May 19 Annual Town Meeting in the difficult position of swapping one flawed bylaw for another.

Planning Board member Ben Bailey said Federal Insurance Rate Maps, which determine what homes are in a flood prone area, were inadvertently shifted 30 to 40 feet east the original location. He raised the issue before a public hearing on a local flood plain bylaw at the board's April 22 meeting.

The change put Bailey’s home in the flood zone. Homeowners in flood zones must: purchase flood insurance; follow stricter zoning restrictions and pay a $1,000 inspection fee before selling a house.

Bailey said others in town might be unaware of the change and the financial burden it brings. He said the town should call on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to correct the maps.

His efforts have been unsuccessful.

“The only thing we’ve been getting from the government is threats…rather than cooperation,” he said. Officials have told him that the maps had to be followed. No one he spoke to offered to look into correcting them, Bailey said.

The maps are tied to the town’s flood plain district bylaw. This will be the second time the bylaw will be brought to voters to reinsert language mistakenly left out.

Chair Arnie Johnson recounted the flood plain district's convoluted past. Adopted in 1982, it is updated regularly to meet federal guidelines. It identifies flood risks for certain areas of town and determines who must buy flood insurance.

Two years ago, a computer error omitted essential language from the bylaw, which was approved before the mistake was caught. To correct that the bylaw was again put to voters at Special Town Meeting in the fall. However, it failed to pass.

Without the language the town will not be eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program. That means residents would not be allowed to get subsidized flood insurance.

Bailey said he would not support the bylaw until the federal maps are corrected. Otherwise, he had no issue with the bylaw. The Planning Board is charged with offering a recommendation to voters – either to adopt, not adopt, or table the bylaw.

Planning Board members said they would ask Town Counsel for guidance. Additionally, Johnson said he sought advice from Colleen Bailey, the Department of Recreation and Conservation’s flood hazard map coordinator.

Board members will revisit the issue at their May 13 meeting.