TROY – Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin delivered his first State of the County Address Tuesday night with an upbeat message praising the county workforce and promising a county that will grow and prosper.

“I know this audience is comprised of mostly Rensselaer County residents, but I hope you will all help me send the message loud and clear, Rensselaer County is the place to be, the place to make your investment, work hard and chase your dreams here,” McLaughlin said.

The county executive made his speech to the County Legislature on his 72nd day in office. It touched on familiar topics covered by his predecessor as county executive, Kathleen Jimino, warning of the state’s fiscal excesses harming the county’s efforts to deliver services at an affordable cost for county taxpayers.

“We know all too well problems deferred on the state level can be moved to the county and local level in the form of new taxes and fees,” McLaughlin said, sending a message to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature to “fix the problems at the state level … and do not shift your burden and shortfalls to the county and local levels.”

McLaughlin made an effort to show that he is watching county spending, a goal he has been mentioning over and over again. He said his administration has saved $250,000 since Jan. 1 by examining what vacant positions should be filled and watching spending.

Mixed with the savings came an emphasis on stimulating the county’s economic development in an effort to expand the tax base. McLaughlin praised the retail expansion at Routes 4 and 43 in North Greenbush. He said the county saw a 4.1 percent growth in sales tax revenues in 2017 while other counties saw declines or stagnation.

The county executive emphasized that growth must be supported along the Route 7 corridor in Brunswick and Routes 9 and 20 in East Greenbush and Schodack, and the Hudson River waterfront in Troy and Rensselaer also are areas that can be developed to bolster the county economy.

McLaughlin turned to the County Legislature’s agenda to point out that the county is poised to see new growth at the former Fort Orange Paper Co. plant in Schodack. The legislature voted 19-0 to approve an option with CorrVentures LLC to buy the site for $1.5 million.

In other areas, McLaughlin pledged to continue to press the fight against opioid addiction, to push for increasing school safety, to find ways to ensure quality public water supplies for the eastern Rensselaer County communities impacted by PFOA contamination and to protect the environment.