Oak Bluffs selectmen voted Friday to rebid a pared-down town hall project.

At a special meeting Friday afternoon, the selectmen heard a detailed presentation from building committee chairman Bill McGrath, who outlined $1.7 million in cost cutting to the plans for the new town hall. The cuts were necessary after a lone bid for the $7.8 million project came in too high.

On Friday the selectmen voted unanimously to rebid the project with new specifications.

Mr. McGrath said both the architect and the project manager worked on separate estimates to reduce costs and then reconciled the estimates.

“Both estimated independently,” Mr. McGrath said. “In both cases, they were conservative estimates. They think we’re going to save more — $1.7 million is worst case.”

Selectmen Gail Barmakian and Brian Packish asked whether architects considered leaving the third floor of the planned building unfinished, and consolidating offices for the town administrator, assistant town administrator and meeting rooms on the second floor of the building in order to make the officials more accessible to the public. Current plans call for them to have offices on the third floor.

“I still do believe it’s a disservice to the public to have those offices on the third floor,” Ms. Barmakian said.

Mr. McGrath said he would seek cost estimates for that reconfiguration, but did not believe it would save enough money to fit within the project budget.