Procacci said that he would ensure that public meetings and documents were posted on the town’s website if he were elected. He added that he would eliminate “midyear corrections” to the budget, during which salary raises are given at times.

Going green

Murray said Hempstead has long been a leader in renewable energy, noting that the town has a renewable-energy park at the town’s Department of Conservation and Waterways in Lido Beach, with a windmill, solar panels that power a hydrogen-fueling station for town vehicles and a geothermal installation to extract heat from the earth to create energy.

State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. recently secured a $208,000 grant that enabled the town to install solar panels at its facilities in Bellmore, Merrick and Seaford. And the town is committed to hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and help preserve the environment, the supervisor said.

Murray, whose office at Town Hall is powered entirely with renewable energy, added that the town holds “solar seminars” so residents “can incorporate solar energy into their lives.”

Procacci decried the town’s composting/water barrel program. In 2012, the town offered composting bins at cost to residents as a way of reducing compostable trash in the waste stream and disposal costs for taxpayers, as well as barrels to catch rainwater from rooftops. The barrels store the rainwater, which can be used to irrigate small gardens. The trouble, Procacci said, is that the barrels do not capture enough water to irrigate a garden, and they require large of amounts of water to produce, so he questioned whether they produce water savings.

This story was corrected on Oct. 31, 2013.