Due to new federal requirements, Austin residents may be reading more reflective street signs by 2015.

Although Austin’s street signs are, for the most part, up to par, the United States Department of Transportation has implemented new regulations regarding the maintenance of traffic sign retroreflectivity.

Council members and city staff discussed the new requirements at a work session Tuesday night. City Engineer Jon Erichson said all cities must establish a sign maintenance program by January 2012, and all signs must be compliant with requirements by 2015. The purpose is to ensure all cities have easily visible, readable signage.

The compliance update is the perfect example of an unfunded mandate, City Administrator Jim Hurm said at the work session. For a city with 200 miles of road, annual sign replacement costs could reach $260,000, none of which is funded by the federal or state government. Austin has about 140 miles of road, Erichson said, so the cost would be less.

The city’s public works department will need to reconfigure its 2012 budget to accommodate the new requirements.

“The good news is … our sign program has been kept fairly up to date,” he said. “We should start doing this in 2012 instead of waiting for 2014.”

No formal action was taken by council members at the meeting.