Billerica’s economic development office is now empty.

Director Rob Anderson recently resigned to take a new position, just a few weeks after the town’s board of selectmen attempted to disband his department altogether, according to a report in The Lowell Sun.

Selectmen voted 3-2 on Oc. 13 to eliminate the department, but they later rescinded the vote after members raised concerns that the action wasn’t within the board’s power. The department’s only other employee, Katie Mahoney, resigned in August, citing clashes with three selectmen who have pushed to eliminate the office, the Sun reported.

The officials who voted in favor of axing the department – Dan Burns, John Burrows and Mike Rosa – argue it has failed to attract commercial development.

As Banker & Tradesman reported this summer, officials in the northwest suburb and its neighbor Chelmsford have clashed with developers over the towns’ growth priorities. Local officials want more commercial projects to help shore up the town’s property tax base, but industry figures say multifamily housing projects are the most realistic option based on market conditions in Boston and in the national capital markets.