Skip to main content
Published on: 06/12/2026

McMinnville receives Municipal League award for Excellence in Overall Municipal Governance

Downtown McMinnville
McMinnville officials knew they wanted to align their strategic planning, budgeting, organizational structure, economic development, and public communication into a unified and performance-driven system based on services providing value to the public. (Photo by McMinnville)

Known as the Nursery Capital of the World, officials in McMinnville know that managing a growing city requires planning, organization, and occasionally tough decisions. 

For their comprehensive Municipal Governance Transportation Initiative and success in modernizing and streamlining operations to deliver measurable public value, the Tennessee Municipal League (TML) is pleased to honor McMinnville for Excellence in Overall Municipal Governance. 

City Hall Meeting
Stakeholders and city officials gather at McMinnville's city hall for a meeting. The city has worked on organizational restructuring, employee incentives, data-driven initiatives, and transparent governance to make the city operate more efficiently for both residents and municipal employees. (Photo by McMinnville)

McMinnville officials wanted to align strategic planning, budgeting, organizational structure, economic development, and public communication into a unified and performance-driven system based on services providing value to the public. To this end, the city set six goals:   

 Transitioning to structurally balanced, performance-informed budgeting, supported by ClearGov to enhance transparency    

  • Organizational restructuring to create a Tourism & Marketing Department and integrating tourism into the city’s broader economic development strategy    
  • The first full, comprehensive update and digitization of the municipal code since 2006 to improve access and administrative efficiency    
  • Consistent public communication tools, including the Weekly Wrap Up newsletter and Inside McMinnville video series    
  • Implementation of a program called Living Our Values, integrating employee recognition with direct public feedback, while promoting organizational values    
  • Strategic alignment of tourism, infrastructure, and economic development through a unified planning framework    

 As a result of implementing these strategies, the city has ensured that decisions, financial resources, and community investment are maximized for long-term impact. The initiative has seen the city increase budget execution from 85-90% to 98%, eliminated duplication of services, improved internal efficiencies by reducing outdated or inconsistent regulations, and strengthened cross-department collaboration.   

The city also launched the Living Our Values program, which functions as a real-time performance management system for municipal employees. The program offers peer-to-peer recognition aligned with the city’s core service values, enables public feedback through postcards and open communication channels, and allows citizens to recognize employees who go above and beyond the call of duty. Within the first quarter of implementation, the program recognized 39 city employees, demonstrating strong engagement and showcasing the valuable contributions of municipal staff.   

McMinnville City Employees Honored
The city's "Living Our Values" program has worked to recognize municipal employees who go above and beyond to make McMinnville a great place to live, work, and play. (Photo by McMinnville)

Citizens now have more transparency in how their government is run through consistent public communications, accessible data, multi-channel public feedback systems, advanced quality-of-life initiatives, and a continuous feedback loop between citizens and city operators that has led to numerous improvements.   

 Using a data-driven model, the city has also improved its tourism initiatives by focusing on accommodation, grants, infrastructure, connectivity, and engagement. This allowed the city to launch its first strategic plan for tourism and use digital platforms and target marketing campaigns to prioritize high-value demographics. By ensuring that data backs decisions, the city has seen 12.4% growth in average monthly visitors over the past year with total trips increasing by 7.7% and more than 619,700 overnight stays in local hotels in one year. Currently, visitors account for 32% of all restaurant spending, an 11% increase.   

 Money generated from tourism benefits the local business community and, in turn, helps fund quality-of-life enhancements for citizens. Revenues from sales and consumption taxes have stabilized the local tax base and allowed reinvestment in the community including:  

  Approximately $100,000 in annual solid waste savings  

  • Leverage for state, federal, and nonprofit grants to improve parks, river access, and connectivity  
  • Increase in long-term fiscal stability through diversified revenue streams 
  • Maintenance of an A1 credit rating 

 Ultimately, the goal is not just to improve services. The aim is to create a sustainable model where governance, economic vitality, and quality of life reinforce one another and work together to create a more resilient and stronger municipality, poised for future growth and new opportunity.   

Related Articles