Patricia Doxsey is reporting in the Daily Freeman financial consultants working with the Ulster County Legislature have found less than $1 million to negotiate in the county's 2018 budget proposed by Executive Mike Hein. “The budget is very sound,” H. Chris Kopf, a partner with the O’Connor Davies accounting and consulting firm told lawmakers Wed., Nov. 8. The firm was hired by the Legislature to analyze the executive’s proposed $324 million budget and to recommend changes to ensure the plan provides the county with financial stability. Aside from a handful of tweaks that could save county taxpayers about $885,000, consultants found little to criticize. The proposal calls for a 0.28 percent decrease in spending over the adopted 2017 budget and a 0.25 percent decrease in the county’s tax levy. The Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee will begin its review of the executive budget later this month. The full Legislature is expected to vote on a final spending plan for 2018 on Dec. 6. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.