FAIRMONT — At least one person has applied to relieve Fairmont Finance Officer Linda Vause of her additional duties as acting town manager.

The commissioners discussed the application during their regular meeting on Tuesday, and although they would not say who had applied to be the town’s full-time administrator, those familiar with the applicant seemed thrilled at the prospect.

No action was taken during a 30-minute closed session during which commissioners reviewed the application and whether to hire someone for the post immediately or wait until funding for the position is available.

Vause asked the commissioners in March to begin searching for someone to fill the role and lighten her workload. Vause has served as the town’s finance officer for about 15 years and was made interim town manager in April 2011. The interim distinction was dropped in December 2011.

Commissioners Monte McCallum and Terry Evans introduced the application and expressed an interest in making a quick hire. McCallum called the applicant “credible” and “dedicated” and said he or she has a “good history with the town.”

“It’s an opportunity we shouldn’t let get by us,” he said while commending Vause’s work in both positions.

Commissioner Wade Sealey, who did not know who the applicant was at the time, suggested holding off on hiring a new town manager until after the November municipal elections.

“I think the new administration would need to be in on this decision,” he said.

Commissioner J.J. McCree noted that the town budget only set aside money to pay a full-time town manager for half of the current fiscal year, $26,650, meaning the position couldn’t be filled until Dec. 30.

With no consensus on when to make the hire, and some commissioners unfamiliar with the applicant, the board went into closed session. About halfway through the session, the commissioners could be heard loudly discussing the issue, catching the attention of residents in the council chambers. Vause did not join the closed session.

After the meeting adjourned, Mayor Charles Townsend said the board had heeded McCree’s suggestion to wait until the second half of the fiscal year to hire a full-time manager.

Also on Tuesday, the board approved guidelines and appointments for an economic development committee. A discussion about the committee at the board’s August meeting became heated when McCallum and Evans suggested Townsend had formed a different economic development committee without the board’s knowledge. Townsend had been invited to attend a separate economic development committee meeting with Chamber of Commerce and county officials later that week.

The mission of the group will be “to further the economic development of the town of Fairmont, promote job creation and business support and assist the town board in implementing economic development initiatives.” The committee on its own would not be authorized to make any binding agreements.

The committee will be made up of seven at large-members and a single commissioner, who will not have voting power. The commissioners voted to appoint Vanessa Abernathy, Winona Gause, Rod Heasley, Ned Gaddy and Melvin Stephens. Townsend and McCree said they needed to confirm their potential appointees would be able to serve. Townsend will attend the committee’s first meeting at the board’s request since it does not yet have a chairman.

In other business, the board:

— Heard from Bob Weagraff, chairman for the Boy Scouts of America’s Lumber River District about Fairmont’s new troop. The board gave the organization permission to use the fire department on Tuesday evenings for meetings.

— Heard an update on the Farmers Festival from organizer Kelly Johnson. Johnson said festival T-shirts are for sale starting at $10 at the Town Hall, First Bank and several other locations.

— Voted to seek the Lumber River Council of Government’s help in ridding the town of dilapidated and abandoned properties.

— At the request of the property owners, scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 20 on annexing property at 1809 Marion Stage Road.

— Adopted a budget ordinance for sewer rehabilitation funded by a $1.765 million Community Development Block Grant. The ordinance is required for the money to be released for use.

— Voted to use $5,500 from the Code Enforcement budget to fix a fence at Fairmont Community Park.

— Reappointed Steve Floyd to the Fairmont ABC Board.