LAKEVILLE — As Lakeville faces an increasing number of development proposals, Select Board members agreed Aug. 26 to form a working group to study the potential hiring of a town planner.

The decision followed a conversation with Planning Board members Dan Wilga and David Lodge, who said that additional support is needed as the town faces growing numbers of projects.

“Towns like Lakeville get taken advantage of by outside developers,’’ Lodge noted, “because they view us as not well-versed’’ in the kinds of projects he said are being “forced down our throats.’’

Planning Board members requested that the money allocated in the budget for a Town Planner, about $90,000, be used instead to hire consulting firms and to fund a full-time position of land use coordinator/conservation agent.

Describing their need for help as immediate, board members noted that two consulting firms, Environmental Partners LLC of Quincy and Platinum Partners of Stoughton, have offered to provide their services.

The two firms, board members wrote in their proposal, would offer a “different range of expertise for specific zoning-related projects.’’

At the same time, the proposal stated, the land use coordinator/conservation agent would, among other tasks, “streamline processes within the Planning Board, ensuring that project proposals and permits are handled promptly and efficiently.’’

Questions were raised about the status of the vacant town planner post. By paying consultants, Select Board member Lia Fabian said, the town could “run out of money’’ allocated for the town planner.

Select Board member Maureen Candito, who supported the request for consultants, requested a “deep dive’’ into the specifics of the town planner so the position is not limited to a “narrow scope.’’

Interim Town Administrator Robert Nunes suggested forming a working group to explore the role of the town planner. Members would include Nunes, representatives from the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, the director of inspectional services and the human resources director.

The board asked the group to report back with their findings at the Sept. 23 select board meeting.

In the interim, Nunes suggested, Planning Board members could return to the Sept. 9 select board meeting with a list of their immediate needs. Consulting work could be funded on a case-by-case basis, Nunes said, through a consultant line item in the budget.