City to set framework for capital projects

The city of McMinnville is introducing a new scoring format and prioritization process for capital projects. City councilors will discuss details during a work session Wednesday to prepare for the launch of a pilot program in the coming months.

The city identifies capital projects as major reconstruction, replacement or expansions in which the work takes over a year to complete, costs more than $100,000 and the improvement lasts at least a decade. Those criteria differentiate capital projects from maintenance ones handled through administrative approval.

The city has traditionally relied on master plans, department recommendations and council direction to identify and prioritize capital projects. The new framework creates standardized scoring categories for projects and establishes a phased implementation strategy, according to Public Works Director Geoff Hunsaker.

“As infrastructure needs grow and resources remain limited, establishing a clear, consistent prioritization framework is critical to ensuring that investments are strategic, equitable, and financially sustainable,” Hunsaker said in a staff report.

Staff’s draft methodology includes eight categories scored on a 0-5 scale based on answers to a series of questions from the project lead. A scoring committee comprised of department representatives involved in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan makes recommendations to city council, which reviews the score cards, according to staff.

Projects will be evaluated on health and safety considerations, maintenance requirements, partnerships and project coordination, community engagement, socioeconomic factors, economic vitality, climate resiliency and livability and connectivity.

The scoring system will exempt emergency projects “urgently needed to address or prevent a health and or safety impact,” according to Hunsaker.

Council will review the scoring rubric and ask questions Wednesday. Use of the new criteria is scheduled to begin in a trial format later this year or in early 2026. Project leads will complete score cards and the committee will review them during the pilot program, and council can adopt the criteria prior to next year’s budget meetings, according to staff.

The work session will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Kent Taylor Civic Hall.

A meeting agenda and packet can be found on the city’s calendar page at www.mcminnvilleoregon.gov/meetings.