Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith spoke to the Rotary Club of Griffin Thursday about the city budget, passenger rail and other issues affecting the city of Griffin.

He began by describing how the city’s revenues are meeting the projections. As of the end of April, the city had taken in 103 percent of its projected property tax revenues. With 83 percent of the fiscal year done, the city has collected 86 percent of its Local Option Sales Tax.

“Everything we have done in the past couple of years, we erred on the side of being conservative,” Smith said.

He said city enterprise funds are also at 86 percent with 83 percent of the fiscal year done.

He said the city budget for fiscal year 2010-2011 is $95 million, about the same as for fiscal year 2009-2010.

One of the main goals for the year was to reward city employees, who have not received any type of raise in years and have been having to do the work of those whose positions have been cut. This reward consists of a 2 percent raise that will take effect on Jan. 1.

The commissioners also wanted to focus more on tourism. Smith said when he first came to Griffin, he thought it was odd that relatively little was made of Doc Holliday.

He said Griffin has Civil War history, historical cemeteries, textile-industry history, African-American history and athletic history.

Another goal of the Griffin Board of Commissioners pertains to commuter rail. He said the Brookings Institute report, which members of the Rotary Club helped pay for, will be unveiled in Griffin on June 22. Smith said he and city staff support passenger rail because it will bring economic growth to the community from new construction around the station and money spent in the community by passengers.

He said the city supports the relocation of the Griffin-Spalding County Airport, which is currently being studied. He said if it comes to pass, the new runway will be constructed in six to eight years.