A regional planning agency has been tapped to help guide the town while it searches for a new town planner.

On Tuesday, the Board of Selectmen authorized Town Administrator Richard LaCamera to contract service from SRPEDD, which serves Southeastern Massachusetts in land use, transportation, economy, and the environment.

Last month, former Town Planner John Charbonneau accepted a position in Raynham. Charbonneau served part-time and Rochester shared his services with Wareham.

Contracting SRPEDD allows the planning board to move forward on future developments, such as a proposed natural gas fueling station at SEMASS, the waste-to-energy conversion plant in town.

Rochester Board of Selectmen Chair Naida Parker said the planning board is exploring options on how to move forward without a town planner.

“Using SRPEDD buys us time,” Parker said. And Rochester will be buying time from SRPEDD. The agency charges by the hour, but Parker said grants are being considered to off-set the cost.