The Hooksett Town Council is not sure what it wants to do with the vacant town hall at 16 Main St., but there is at least one councilor who believes its primary purpose should remain town-related.

“One thing that’s pretty clear is that land was donated for the use of the town,” Councilor David Ross said at the July 23 council meeting. “When you talk about developing it and putting it back on the tax rolls, that really flies in the face of that.”

When the property where old town hall is located was deeded to Hooksett in 1825, a stipulation was included in the transfer, specifying that the land must be must be primarily used for town purposes or the parcel would revert to original ownership.

Since the town vacated the old town hall earlier this summer for larger offices at the old Village School, the future use of the historic building -- and the land it sits on -- has come into question.

“It’s a critically important historic building to this town and it’s my intent to keep it that way,” Ross said. “It can have a lot of value as a town building without being on the tax rolls. It is Hooksett Town Hall, still.”

During the meeting, the council unanimously voted to direct the Hooksett Economic Development Committee to conduct a feasibility study on possible future uses of the building.

Bill Sirak, chairman of the development committee, said his group would take a “long” and “open” approach to these future uses and that it might be possible to consider a mixed-use function for the building.

The council also voted to support Kathie Northrup’s application to include the old town hall on the New Hampshire Register of Historic Places. Northrup heads the Hooksett Heritage Commission, which advises the Town Council on historic preservation projects.