NEW GLOUCESTER — Selectmen on Monday tabled consideration of two valid citizen petitions that ask the board to place two articles on the Upper Gloucester public water project before voters.

Town Manager Sumner Field III said officials are waiting for a memo from the town attorney regarding the petitions. The attorney had an emergency and couldn’t complete the work in time for Monday’s meeting, he said.

The board is also seeking an updated summary of progress since the Feb. 16 vote approving the project, as well as water district expenditures, signed contracts and money spent to date on the project.

The board agreed to hold a special meeting Monday, May 13, to consider the petitions. One asks to repeal the Town of New Gloucester Upper Village Water Service Ordinance. The other seeks to terminate the Interlocal Agreement between the town and the New Gloucester Water District.

The ordinance and interlocal agreement passed by a majority of voters by a show of hands at a Feb. 16 special town meeting.

But, petitioners have argued the process was flawed because the vote was held on a Saturday before a holiday week, the vote was not by written ballot and there may have been nonregistered voters present.

At Monday’s meeting, resident Dianna Jordan said she spent most of the week at the town transfer station and visiting neighbors to get signatures on a petition in support of the project that will bring public water to 50 households and businesses to Upper Gloucester village.

“I started my own petition against the appeal,” Dennis McCann said. “I have more than 400 signatures in an effort that began last week. We’re going to keep going with this.

“I don’t think we can have a fair water vote in this town with all the gossip, rumor and so much stuff that’s out there that’s totally wrong. There are unbelievable rumors out there. Another vote would not be fair,” he said

Rick McCann said, “I hope to get good clean drinking water. That’s what this is all about. These people have been suffering. It’s helping your neighbor, friends and family. I don’t want to see this town split like this. It’s about community.”

The public water system would serve 50 households and business establishments, some of which have wells contaminated with chemicals since the 1980s. The system will cost $2.37 million, with $1.37 million from a community Development Block grant, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Maine Department of Environmental Protections.

“I feel the grants for the water project are like income tax we’ve paid,” Jordan said. “It’s our money and we paid that and we get it back. It’s the right thing to do.”

“The whole thing is not against the water district, but to get a fair vote,” resident Debbie May said. The opposition is about the special town meeting being held on a holiday weekend.

In other business, the board is restoring funds to the public library that drew fire last week at a public hearing. It will also restore funds for employees to offset increased costs of health insurance premiums.

A presentation of the SAD 15 budget showed the $22,299,572 spending plan would increase New Gloucester’s share. A district budget meeting will be held at 7 p.m. May 23 at Gray-New Gloucester High School. The budget referendum will be June 11.