The former Edgartown dredge committee chairman who took heat for using the town dredge to do work on a private project without proper permits has apologized and offered to pay the town’s legal fees.

Town counsel Ron Rappaport said at Monday’s selectmen meeting that Norman Rankow, the former dredge committee chairman, has offered to pay for “any legal and subsequent expenses” the town might have in dealing with the Jan. 13 unauthorized dredge at 51 Witchwood Lane, a property where Mr. Rankow was the general contractor.

The dredging occurred without authorization from the Conservation Commission, though permits were pending, and the spoils from the dredge were dumped into Katama Bay.

“I want to apologize again for whatever harm I may have caused the town,” Mr. Rankow said in the e-mail to the board of selectmen.

Mr. Rappaport said the dredge committee has been drafting new protocols for use with public dredging projects to ensure they can’t go forward without proper permission.

Private dredge jobs are not planned at this time, he said.

The property owners, Steven and Deborah Barnes, have also presented a “fairly comprehensive and lengthy proposed work plan,” Mr. Rappaport said, that will determine if there was any damage to shellfish or eel grass.

The Conservation Commission will meet later this week to review the work plan.