Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung believes there are high hopes for the course set by the new Alberta Government in today's Speech from the Throne.

Genung, Rocky View County Reeve Greg Boehlke and Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown were among the municipal officials present for this afternoon's Throne Speech after receiving invitations from Airdrie-Cochrane MLA Peter Guthrie and Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt, who is also deputy house leader.

"There’s an air of optimism here," says Genung, "and we’re all hoping they can build upon the momentum they have created."

Genung believes it's important for Cochrane to keep in close contact with government ministers and to catch the wave the Kenney government has created.

"They’ve set a path and we need to align ourselves with it," says Genung. "Now we have to position ourselves. Funding for the Hwy. 1A-22 is the priority, but there are so many other things we need to be pursuing. We’ve got to get our faces in their offices as often as possible. I know I intend to do so."

Today, he spent two hours in the office of new transportation minister Ric McIver. While it was primarily a meet and greet, the mayor says he mentioned the Hwy. 22-Hwy. 1A interchange multiple times.

"It was a pretty high-level gathering but he knows it's on the agenda."

MLA Peter Guthrie was also present for the informal discussions with McIver.

"They were casual and preliminary but we had the opportunity to advocate for Cochrane and for the needs that we're going to have going forward," says Guthrie.

This is the first time Reeve Boehlke has been in attendance for the Throne Speech after serving on RVC council for 15 years.

"I was tickled," says Boehlke. "It was nice to meet the ministers we're going to be doing a lot of work with."

He found the Throne Speech reflected what Premier Kenney said on election night and believes they have the mandate to get the job done.

"He was very consistent about jobs and getting the Alberta economy going again, trimming some red tape, looking at education and health care... all of those things."

Transportation and regional planning are among the pressing concerns of the county. In particular, he says forecasts of future drought weigh heavily on the minds of Calgary region officials.

"We know that Calgary is making statements that they don't have the drawing capacity to sustain growth past 2036 so we need some kind of plan from the province for off-stream storage. It's something that must be addressed and we know SR1 doesn't even come near it."

Guthrie was impressed with the tone set by the Throne Speech.

"It's what Albertans want to hear. It's what small businesses and corporations want to hear. They want to have that consistency and they want to see that we are going to follow through and execute on what we've talked about for so many months. I was very pleased with the Throne Speech."

He says there definitely was a buzz in the air today and it comes just one day after he was sworn in as MLA.

"We're all pretty excited about this new government. It's a pretty neat experience and kind of surreal. There's a lot of history there and it's a pretty wonderful thing to be a part of."

Premier Jason Kenney has stuck to his promise of dumping the carbon tax quickly by introducing Bill 1. The government aims to have the carbon tax removed by 12:01 p.m. on May 30.

Calling the carbon tax a "tax grab with economic pain and no environmental gain," Kenney says its elimination will save Alberta families up to $1,150 per year and small businesses $4,500 per year while creating 6,000 new jobs.

"Promise made, promise kept," said Kenney.