CHARLESTOWN — A developer who controls 81 acres north of Route 1 has approached the town to ascertain interest in buying the property, saying two casino promoters and the Narragansett Indian tribe have offered more than $20 million for the parcel.

But on Monday, Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas said the tribe has not offered to buy the property from the developer, Larry LeBlanc, and any assertion to that effect is simply “not true.’’

“We haven’t offered Larry LeBlanc anything,” Thomas said.

Thomas said he may have had a casual conversation with LeBlanc about the property, but there has never been any “sit-down” negotiations with the developer to buy it.

The Town Council has scheduled a special meeting for 5:30 tonight — before the start of the council’s regular meeting at 7 p.m. — to discuss LeBlanc’s offer. The discussion will take place in closed session.

LeBlanc and his attorney, William Landry, met with Town Administrator Edward Barrett, Town Solicitor Robert Craven and Alan Arsenault, Charlestown’s director of public works, on Oct. 1 to assess the town’s interest in the property, according to a memo released yesterday by acting Town Council President James Mageau.

The memo, dated Oct. 9, was sent from Barrett and Craven to the council. Mageau said he released it because he is opposed to the deal.

LeBlanc and Landry said the land likely will be sold to the highest bidder if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the town in the u p coming Kempthorne case. But the developer would prefer to sell the parcel to the town because he “believes he would have to leave Charlestown and his wife’s burial ground on his property if a sale to a casino group were to happen.’’

The land is currently held in trust and the trustees would have to agree to any sale, the memo states. Those trustees are LeBlanc’s attorney and the developer’s two daughters.

Barrett and Craven urged the council to buy the property, which they estimate would cost the town between $3 and $5 million. The 81 acres are between Kings Factory Road and Prosser Trail, across from tribal land. LeBlanc’s property has long been the subject of much speculation as a potential, suitable site for an Indian casino and is “essential to stop the adverse consequences of a loss in the Supreme Court,” the memo states.

Oral arguments in the pivotal Kempthorne case are set for Nov. 3. The state and town are appealing a decision by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to take 31 acres off King’s Factory Road into trust for the Narragansett Indian tribe because once land is taken in trust, most local and state laws don’t apply to it, leaving the Narragansetts free to develop what they want on the site.

Mageau said yesterday he released the Oct. 9 memo because he is livid about LeBlanc’s proposal. Noting the state’s dire economic situation, and the fact that many Charlestown residents are experiencing economic hardship, Mageau said the town simply cannot afford to buy anything right now. “The bottom line is we’re not in any position to spend,’’ he said. But also, said Mageau, he is upset by the way the matter has been handled. Noting that the memo states LeBlanc wants an answer by Oct. 15 in order to minimize his tax consequences, Mageau called the proposal a “shake down.”

“He has had several months to come up with this proposal,” Mageau said, questioning why the developer waited until now, when a lame duck council is in session and elections are just a few weeks away, to make his offer.

LeBlanc’s phone number is not listed and he could not be reached yesterday. His lawyer did not return a phone call.

Last week, Mageau and fellow councilman Bruce Picard refused to go into executive sesssion to discuss LeBlanc’s proposal. Council members Kate Waterman and Harriett Allen said they wanted to hear from Landry, who attended the council’s agenda meeting Wednesday night to discuss the offer, but the motion to go into executive session failed with the 2-to-2 vote.