County Executive Mike Hein noted that the proposed budget was the fifth in a row to include a property tax levy cut. But Hein also warned that skyrocketing health care costs — made worse by an ongoing dispute between insurer Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield and local healthcare provider HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley — posed a major threat to the county’s financial position.

For County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach, the big news in County Executive Mike Hein’s 2017 budget proposal was an item that went unmentioned in Hein’s unveiling address on Friday — a major cut in funding for the county’s independent fiscal watchdog.