MINOT — Selectmen on Monday night approved a 2019 municipal budget of $1.6 million, including $92,117 for the first year payment on a firetruck.  

The Budget Committee will meet Dec. 6 to make its spending recommendations before voters make the final decision next March.

This year’s municipal budget is $1.64 million.

The $92,117 payment is the first on a five-year bond to pay for replacing the decommissioned 1994 Engine 8 pumper. The firetruck has a crack in the pump casting, and Fire Chief Jim Allen has identified incessant mechanical, electrical and alignment issues.

The article for the March 2 annual town meeting warrant will ask voters to raise up to $425,000 for the purchase. If approved, the town will use $100,000 from the Undesignated Fund Balance and the trade-in on Engine 8 to lower the principal.

The budget also includes raising $17,000 for an antenna and radio repeater for the Highway Department to improve communication among drivers. Now, drivers cannot talk to each other from different areas of the town.