After decades of deterioration, the town halls of Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester are in desperate need of maintenance.

All built in the late 1800s, the buildings’ leaky roofs, peeling paint and drafty windows are all up for discussion as officials consider renovations.

While Rochester officials have a plan in the works, Marion and Mattapoisett officials are still discussing what could be done with the buildings.

With a Special Town Meeting scheduled for October 22, Rochester officials are asking voters to approve $897,000 to repair several town facilities and to purchase new equipment.

Of that amount, $250,000 would be used for repairing the exterior of the Town Hall with new long-lasting shingles, paint and windows.

“The roof has significant leakage. The paint is peeling off outside of the building. If we don’t do anything we are going to lose the building,” said Rochester Town Administrator Richard LaCamera.

LaCamera said the town would use money from its stabilization fund and borrow bonds from lenders to make the repairs.

In Marion, what should be done with the Town House is still up for debate.

In an email to Town Administrator Paul Dawson, resident Chuck Gricus said that he believed the Town House is suitable just as it is.

“Marion is, for all intents and purposes, a built-in community,” Gricus said. “There is not much happening. Therefore the need for a new Town House is a waste of resources.”

Charged with reviewing all of the options for renovations, the Town House Advisory Committee is seeking public input.

An engineering study completed by the architectural firm Durland Van Voorhis in 2011 estimated that the Town House is in need of $5.2 million in repairs.

These repairs include a new heating system, plumbing system, sprinklers, elevator, insulation and handicap accessibility.

On September 20, the committee presented several options during a public hearing.

Resident and architect Bill Saltonstall suggested that the best option would be to renovate the front portion of the Town House and tear down the mostly vacant back portion.

“Perhaps the money isn’t there for the project, but it seems to me that this is a way to go to make the building more energy efficient without losing the character of the building,” Saltonstall said.

Resident Christine Winters suggested going forward with one of the committee’s options to sell the building to a developer and then the town could rent out the space.

“If we lease to a developer they pay taxes,” Winters said. “I think it’s important to keep in perspective that there are options. We would pay rent, but the developer would also be paying taxes.”

Jay Ryder, Chair of the Town House Advisory Committee, suggested hiring a project manager to better examine all of the options and develop the most cost-effective plan for the town.

In May, Ryder said Town Meeting voted against approving $140,000 to hire a project manager.

“If the money was appropriated at Town Meeting, we would be halfway through a feasibility study,” Ryder said.

Dawson said the only way to move forward with the project is to continue discussions and bring in a project manager to oversee things.

Similar to Marion, plans for the Mattapoisett Town Hall are still in the early stages, said Town Administrator Mike Gagne.

“We certainly have to look at what the future holds as far as a municipal building,” Gagne said.

“We’re doing the numbers to see what it would cost to renovate the building and what it would cost to rebuild it.”

Gagne said the interior of the building is in need of repairs and that the space could be better utilized. So far, no proposals have been made.

For any renovations to be done in the three towns, voters would have to approve the project at a Town Meeting.