Oak Bluffs selectmen this week pulled back from a plan to include funding for a new town hall on the annual town meeting warrant, handing the process of public hearings and deliberation to the planning board.

The town has already created plans for a new building. A building committee considered alternative sites and evaluated the possibility of renovating the existing building, deciding in the end that the most cost effective solution is to demolish the present town hall and build a new structure on the current site.

The town has invested $254,150 in the town hall project already. At a special town meeting in November 2012, voters approved $239,150 for engineering and architectural work. Earlier, $15,000 was authorized for a feasibility study.

Following a round of public hearings and presentations, voters at the 2014 annual town meeting overwhelmingly approved $6.8 million for the town hall project. At the same meeting, $8.3 million was approved for a new fire station. At the ballot box two days later, voters approved a measure to exclude the debt for the fire station from the provisions of Proposition 2 1/2, but a failed to approve a similar debt exclusion for the town hall project.

The ribbon was cut on the new fire station this week. And selectmen began discussion of reviving the town hall project.

“I had proposed to put it on the ballot in April,” said selectman Walter Vail at Tuesday’s meeting. “I’m going to say at this point, let’s not do that. Let’s try to get a full range of public opinion. Do we want a new town hall? If we do want a new town hall where do we want it? How much do we want to spend?”

Selectman Gail Barmakian agreed.

“The vote at the ballot, it lost horribly,” she said. “The town is sending us a message. We need to respond to it.”

The board discussed reassembling the original building committee for a new evaluation of the project, adding a member of the planning board to the committee.

But planning board chairman Brian Packish rejected that approach.

“Planning should take place at the planning board,” he said. “When you offer a token position on that committee, I don’t respect that as proper planning.”

The selectmen decided to hand the reins to Mr. Packish and his board.

Mr. Packish said the board will begin its review process in January.

“If you’re looking for us to manage the process then we’re here and we’re ready to do the work,” he said.

“I just would like to get something done,” said selectman Kathy Burton. “Let’s just get it done, but let it be right.”

Also Tuesday, the board voted to sponsor a town meeting article that would ban single-use plastic bags, like those used to bag purchases at grocery stores. The board heard a presentation from the Vineyard Conservation society and Island students, who are coordinating the campaign.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Ms. Burton. “It reminds me of the bottle bill, when everybody freaked out because we were going to have a five cent deposit on bottles, and look what that’s done to clean up.”

“I know the cost is an issue,” said selectman Greg Coogan. “I think people will adjust. I know we survived before plastic and I know we’ll survive without it.”

In other action, the board unanimously appointed Kathy Wilson to the library board of trustees, and asked for a more specific plan from promoters who want to stage a two-day music festival at Waban Park in August.