FREEPORT – Freeport town councilors Tuesday said they will hire an independent consultant to study the consequences of the town withdrawing from Regional School Unit 5.

The decision, discussed during what was billed as a workshop, will pave the way for an independent education consultant to work with town staff on a speculative school budget for strictly Freeport. The study would look at potential costs to taxpayers and the impact a withdrawal would have on the curriculum.

“I think the issue is whether or not residents want to do a study,” said District 1 Councilor Andy Wellen. “Based on my little corner of the world, there definitely is.”

Many Freeport residents have expressed frustration with the regional school unit, which seemed to reach a tipping point after a $16.9 million renovation and expansion of Freeport High School was narrowly defeated June 11. During a June 18 council meeting, Freeport residents urged the council to take action and explore the possibility of withdrawing from the four-year-old RSU 5 it shares with Pownal and Durham.

“I don’t want emotions to run crazy and inform this decision,” Freeport resident Beth Parker told the council Tuesday.

Parker’s sentiments were echoed by fellow Freeport resident Joyce Clark Veilleux, who said via an email read by Councilor Melanie Sachs the situation was akin to “three-year-olds having a temper tantrum” and urged cooperation within the three towns.

The town will seek quotes from consultants and have tentatively pegged the cost of the three-week job at below $10,000 and above $5,000.

According to Freeport Town Manager Peter Joseph, 10 percent of Freeport’s roughly 7,000 residents would have to sign a petition to bring withdrawal to a vote. The process of withdrawing from a Regional School Unit involves a 22-step procedure per the rules governing the school consolidation system. Most recently, the town of Wiscasset, citing lack of control over school spending, sought and received conditional approval to withdraw from Regional School Unit 12.

The results on the expansion proposal from Freeport, Durham and Pownal put the total votes on the school project at 2,202 against and 2,028 in favor. In Freeport, 1,623 were in favor, 902 opposed. Pownal trounced the bond, 472 to 118, and it was the same story in Durham, where 828 were against and 287 in favor.

Pownal and Durham voters also rejected the $25.8 million fiscal 2014 budget for RSU 5.