Naples selectmen came to a deadlock Monday for the second week in a row over the question of spending $5,000 for a consultant to start the process of dredging the Chute River.

Town Manager Derik Goodine proposed hiring the consultant to create a plan that meets Department of Environmental Protection guidelines. He said there were barge owners in town who have offered to do the dredging in exchange for being able to sell the sand to waterfront property owners whose beaches have eroded over the years.

“This is a town share to put it on the table,” Goodine said, encouraging the board to put the article on the town meeting warrant. The date for the town meeting is not set, but will likely fall in the middle of June.

Selectwoman Christine Powers said the issue is about whether the town is going to spend $5,000 to hire a consultant. “It’s certainly not a Naples issue, as far as I’m concerned,” said selectman Robert Caron Sr, indicating that he doesn’t think the town should be responsible for backing the project.

Without Dana Watson present to break a tie vote, the four members of the board were hesitant to spend much time discussing the issue. “Nothing is going to change tonight,” said Selectman Rick Paraschak.

The board set a special selectmen’s meeting for Tuesday at 6 p.m. to further discuss the item.

In 2003 the Army Corps of Engineers completed a study to determine the feasibility of dredging the 1,600-foot-long Chute River between Long Lake and Brandy Pond. As the river has filled in with sand over the years, boats navigate the channel with increasing difficulty, sometimes running aground. The 2003 study said that 25 boats annually encounter a problem with grounding or scraping.

The proposed channel is 5-feet deep, with a maximum width of 80 feet, which would be reduced through the causeway opening. Army engineers estimated that they would have to remove 8,800 cubic yards of material.

Army engineers concluded that they would not complete the project because it was not economically justified. The benefits were low because the Songo River Queen and two tour boat barges were the only commercial boats to pass through the river. The study did not give as much weight to recreational use.

“This is an unique situation because it’s mostly a recreational channel,” said Goodine Monday.

In February, the Department of Environmental Protection told the town that it could get a permit for the project, including selling the sand upstream. The department encouraged Naples to work with a consultant to put together the application to the DEP for the dredging project, which would include an invasive plant assessment and property evaluations for the beaches where the sand would be deposited.

Typically, it is illegal to deposit sand on beaches. But since this sand eroded from local beaches and is not contaminated, the state would allow it to be redeposited.