Overrides, school budget cuts, police salaries and more were discussed at the Firehouse Cafe in Onset when Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood and Town Administrator Derek Sullivan held a Q & A session with residents on Friday.

"It's an opportunity for people that may not come to Town Hall for meetings to hear the issues," Sullivan said.

While most of the questions posed by residents concerned ways the town is trying to save money, one resident asked Sullivan about the status of Police Chief Richard Stanley.

Sullivan replied that Stanley retired in the fall of 2013. The town administrator noted that Stanley made $172,000 a year -- roughly $70,000 more than interim chief Kevin Walsh is currently being paid.

When a new permanent chief is hired, his salary will be a matter of negotiation, Sullivan said. In the meantime, he said most of the saved money is likely going into overtime pay for police.

Shaver-Hood spoke about the seven positions that would be cut this year in the school department as well as the 31 that are slated to go next year.

The seven positions cut this year are part of the $500,000 in cuts the town agreed to make in return for the state Department of Revenue's certification of the tax rate, allowing tax bills to go out on time. Shaver-Hood said the School Department's $250,000 in cuts will include three food services workers and four paraprofessionals.

As part of next year's budget cuts, 31 positions are planned to be eliminated "from all areas, including administration and principals," according to Shaver-Hood.

Another school-related position recently cut was the school resource officer, a police officer who, although paid by the Police Department, served all schools in the district. The schools are currently looking to create a substitute for that position.

"None of us are happy about losing our school resource officer. However, given the finances of the town and the need to have patrolmen on the street, at this point we did not have additional funds in our budget to offset it, nor did they have the staff available at the Police Department, Shaver-Hood said.

"It's something we're continuing to work for. It's something we would love to have added back," she said. "In fact we would like two if possible. We're certainly happy with one. But we can only do so much with the dollars we have from both departments."

Sullivan was also asked about what a Proposition 2-1/2 override would look like for the town. He said he didn't have any specific numbers now, but would have a proposal ready before Town Meeting. He said he wants to present a detailed outline of where additional tax money would be spent this year and years into the future.

"If we have to take our lumps to get forward to the future, it's something that we have to do," he said

The officials said there will be more casual Q&A sessions like this prior to Town Meeting, though no dates have been set yet.