Stonington — After learning property owners had lost a 5 percent Federal Emergency Management Agency flood insurance discount, town officials have taken the first step toward resolving the issue. 

Scot Deledda, who has been the town engineer since June 2014, officially added the role of flood plain manager to his responsibilities Thursday.

First Selectman George Crouse said Thursday that the lack of a flood plain manager — a union position the town hasn’t filled since March 2014 — is why the Community Rating System discount disappeared. 

The discount, meant to encourage a comprehensive approach to flood plain management, is given to towns in increments of 5 percent, with Level 10 receiving 0 percent and Level 6 receiving 20 percent. 

In an email that state National Flood Insurance Program Coordinator Diane Ifkovic sent to Deledda on June 17, she said FEMA had given the town until May 2015 — an extension from October 2014 — to correct some elevation certifications.

The corrections were never made and the town was downgraded from Level 9 to Level 10. 

Crouse said the next step is to develop a plan to get the town back to Level 9 status. He said a group of town officials, including those involved with zoning and building inspection, will meet Friday to develop an action plan with direction from Deledda. 

As of now, there are eight homes in the town that either don’t comply with FEMA regulations or need to be double-checked to ensure that they do. The next FEMA review will occur in October. 

Crouse plans to contact the property owners only when the town has developed a plan and FEMA has made its directions clear. 

All eight homeowners have certificates of occupancy, which are legal documents that verify their compliance with all applicable building codes and laws.

If FEMA finds that changes are needed to be in compliance with its regulations, those changes likely would be made only at the owners’ will, the first selectman said. 

If the cost of making changes to come into FEMA compliance exceeds 50 percent of the value of the home, the structure could lose its grandfathered status and be subject to 2015 rules, which could be even more costly for the homeowners.

Crouse wants to take the town of Stonington all the way to a Level 6 rating and bring the 20 percent flood insurance discount to residents. 

“At this point, I don’t know what we have to do,” he said. “But hopefully we’ll gain enough knowledge to work on reaching Level 6.” 

He said he doesn’t yet have a timeline on when the 5 percent discount could be reinstated. 

“It depends on the cooperation of the people who are in the flood zone,” Crouse said. “But we’re going to push this as rapidly as we humanly can to correct it as fast as we can.” 

Deledda, who has had a week of FEMA training, is slated to receive a stipend of $2,000 for his new work. 

l.boyle@theday.com

Twitter: @LindsayABoyle