MINOT — Voters at town meeting Saturday will be asked to raise up to $425,000 plus interest to replace a fire engine pumper truck.

The warrant article asks for a five-year bond to pay for replacing the decommissioned 1994 Engine 8 pumper. The engine has a crack in the pump casting, and Fire Chief Jim Allen has identified ongoing mechanical, electrical and alignment issues. The Board of Selectmen and the Budget Committee recommend passage.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday at Minot Consolidated School, 23 Shaw Hill Road.

This year’s proposed municipal budget is $1.64 million.

Another expenditure is the appropriation of $17,000 for an antenna and radio repeater for the Highway Department to improve communication among drivers. Currently, drivers cannot talk to each other from different areas of town. Selectmen and the Budget Committee recommend passage.

“There were more meetings with the Budget Committee, so they were more informed,” Town Manager Danielle Loring said. However, both groups met with department heads at the outset of budget discussions so the same information was shared at the same time.

As for the fire engine article, Loring said, “The key point is the Fire Department is shifting away from really highlighting (the engine) as a fire unit, fire apparatus, and saying it’s more like a command central and will be their go-to vehicle regardless of the emergency situation.”

Election of officers will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 1, at the Town Office.

Incumbents Laura Hemond and Steve Holbrook are seeking re-election to the Regional School Unit 16 board of directors, and incumbents Stephen French and Daniel Gilpatric are unopposed for selectman seats.

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