The City uses general fund and special street (gas tax) to pay for street improvements. The two funding sources are not enough to keep up with needed repairs. 

Streets and sidewalks maintenance and improvements were identified as a top priority by Derby residents in the 2023 Community Survey.

The City had a pavement management plan study done in 2020. The study analyzed the condition of City streets and made recommendations for how much the City should spend annually on street maintenance in order to maintain quality roads. A Pavement Condition Index (PCI) rated City roads and it was recommended the City spend $2.7M annually on street maintenance to maintain an adequate 70 PCI rating. 

After the study the City doubled the street maintenance budget from $800K to $1.6M, but could not do more due to insufficient additional funding. With recent increases in material and labor costs and inflation, street maintenance costs have gone up over 40% from when the study was done in 2020. 

With the new sales tax, the City should be able to increase street maintenance spending to $4M annually. At that spending amount, the City would be looking at around a 72 PCI rating. That amount ensures adequate funding for City streets and sidewalks moving forward. (see chart below for a comparison of street maintenance levels at current funding vs street funding via the Derby Difference)

The sales tax also helps spread the burden of street maintenance costs onto those who actually drive on City streets everyday. Many come to Derby to shop, work and play, and when they spend money it helps pay for the roads they drive on.