MCMINNVILLE RECEIVES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE

Press release from the Tennessee Municipal League

Tessa Davis photo

NASHVILLE – 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. The award will be presented at the 86th annual TML Conference and Expo, hosted at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn.

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budget execution from 85-90% to 98%, eliminate duplication of services, improve internal efficiencies by reducing outdated or inconsistent regulations and strengthen cross-department collaboration.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.

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 targeted 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

• Increased 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.

Each year, the Tennessee Municipal League honors towns and cities across the state for excellence, outstanding programs and projects and municipal department accomplishments. Award winners for 2026 include Clarksburg for Small City Progress, Paris for Excellence in Economic and Community Development, Gatlinburg for Excellence in Public Works and Innovation, Cookeville for Excellence in Fire Service, Maryville for Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Conservation and Newport for Excellence in Parks and Recreation.

Founded in 1940 and based in Nashville, the Tennessee Municipal League serves as the voice of and advocate for Tennessee's 345 towns and cities.