SALEM — Selectmen discussed possible 2013 warrant articles and budget cuts at their last workshop before taking their final votes next Monday.

Town Manager Keith Hickey and department heads offered about $208,000 in additional cuts to the proposed budget, including $28,591 from the police department and $121,159 from the fire department budgets. The bulk of the fire department reduction came from a $114,454 savings expected in salary and benefits when an employee on long-term sick leave separates from the department in December.

Discussion turned to discretionary versus non-discretionary spending as selectmen decided which items would be in the operating budget and what would appear on the warrant. Selectmen debated whether winter weather operations and employee separation should appear as warrant articles.

“In the spirit of SB2, I want to give people choices,” said Selectman Stephen Campbell.

Selectman Michael Lyons argued that cuts would have to be made in other areas to fund the items if those articles failed. Warrant articles should offer honest choices to voters, he said.

In the end, $350,000 for employee separation remained in the proposed operating budget. Winter weather operations were funded at $500,000 in the proposed operating budget along with a warrant article for $250,000. Excess funds will be moved to a trust fund at the end of the year.

Other warrant articles included $250,000 for a replacement ambulance, $73,153 for outside agency services in the Human Services budget, and $354,708 for two DPW trucks with an 80 percent state grant reimbursement.

Selectmen decided to pull an $800,000 bond for Pond Street water sewer line expansion out of the roads program article and put it on the warrant as a separate article. The roads program will appear on the warrant at $5,655,000.

A $153,526 lease for 12 new police cruisers remained in the operating budget.

A final vote on the proposed 2013 budget and warrant articles is scheduled for Sept. 24 in the Knightly Room in Town Hall. The Budget Committee will begin its review in October.

Town Manager Keith Hickey presented a proposed $37 million operating budget for 2013 in August designed to reduce the town portion of the property tax by 1 percent.

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Julie Hanson may be reached at Jhanson@newstote.com.