HARMONY — Borough council voted for a new FEMA-approved flood ordinance Tuesday despite FEMA delaying its new flood plain map until next year.

“It’s left us in a situation where we need to decide what we’re going to do,” borough solicitor Matt Racunas said about the map delay.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency decided to delay its flood map for Butler County by six months until March 2016.

This coincides with county municipalities’ deadline to adopt FEMA’s new ordinance.

The new ordinance affects builders with stricter limits in the 100-year flood plain. Under FEMA guidelines, the maximum flood limit for development is 12 inches.

However, the borough decided to change that limit to just three inches.

Racunas said concerns arose over the past month after the borough’s contact in FEMA, Leslie Rhoads, suddenly was no longer employed there.

Rhoads worked for the state’s Department of Community & Economic Development as a contractor for the borough through a FEMA grant.

Council President Greg Such said the elimination of Rhoads’ position was a result of the state not passing a budget yet, meaning there was no more grant money to continue services.

“They cut her contract,” Such said.

“We were in the midst of communication with her,” Racunas said. “She was sort of guiding us and going back and forth as to what FEMA will allow.”

Racunas said in the borough’s last conversation with Rhoads, she said the borough “wasn’t understanding” what the three inches meant.

“I was nervous about moving forward,” he said. “I didn’t want to recommend moving forward on an ordinance and then all of a sudden we adopt it, something happens and FEMA is saying ‘No, we didn’t approve that change and you don’t get your flood insurance.’”

Historic Harmony is pushing for the stricter limit.

“I don’t understand why there would be a question about the three inches,” Historic Harmony President John Ruch said. “FEMA says it can’t go any higher than 12 inches, but you can go to zero inches if you want to.”

Racunas gave three options Tuesday night on what the borough could do.

One was to stay with the current, more lenient ordinance and wait for the new map.

Another option was to approve the more stringent 2014 FEMA-approved ordinance.

“We wouldn’t have to do anything with that,” Racunas said. “It’s advertised and ready to go.”

A third option was to move forward with the new ordinance and hire Rhoads as a consultant for $500.

“She would be willing to continue that work, do her review and get us a FEMA-compliable ordinance,” Racunas said.

Such offered a fourth option by combining the approval of the new map and hiring Rhoads as a consultant.

“We have significant public pressure to pass a new ordinance,” he said.

Racunas said the only downside to that option was having to re-advertise, a cost of $190 in addition to the $500 fee to hire Rhoads as a consultant.

Racunas said by passing the 2014 ordinance that was already advertised, there would be no additional costs. From there, the borough would wait until Rhoads is rehired to her FEMA position and continue talks with her for free.

“Why spend the money when we can do it for free?” said Phyllis Metz, council member.