The Warren County Commission last week granted itself a variance in a move to eventually pave Pendleton Cut-Off Road. The variance was needed, commissioners said, because the extra right of way required by county policy would have encroached too far on structures located on the adjacent properties. Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson proposed the county obtain 5 feet of right of way from each property adjacent to the county road. The only exception is the James and Jill Hunn property located at 23654 Pendleton Cut-Off, where no right of way will be obtained due to a septic tank and structure being located too close to the road. A public hearing on the variance was held last Thursday, Nov. 4, at the commission chambers. John Reel, a resident who lives on Pendleton Cut-Off Road, was the lone person in attendance. He supported the variance and the need to have the road paved. The request passed unanimously. County policy requires a 60-foot right of way, which would have required an additional 10 feet on each side of the road. Once the upgrade is complete, Pendleton Cut-Off will be 50 feet wide except at the Hunns’ property, which will be 45 feet wide. “We have to balance the need of the (right of way) and setbacks of the properties,” Hampson said. Presiding Commissioner Arden Engelage called Pendleton Cut-Off “one of the most highly traveled roads” in the county. A 2005 traffic count conducted by MoDOT at the eastern edge of Pendleton Cut-Off Road found that 1,025 vehicles drove there in a two-day period. Three years earlier, 669 vehicles were recorded in a traffic count. “Dust is a huge factor out there,” Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said. “There is a lot of use of that road.” Though the variance was granted, the commissioners said they still need easements to be signed by the property owners along there until determining when the road will be resurfaced. Commissioners said the decision on which roads will be paved in 2011 will be decided by how quickly property owners on the roads under consideration cooperate with the county’s requests. They said paperwork has already been completed for Royal Drive and Shepherd Glen. They are in the process of seeking right of way from property owners living on Stracks Church Road (from the South Service Road to Highway M), Township Line, Shetland and Stringtown Road. “There’s going to be some tough calls,” Hampson said. Earlier this year, the commission approved variances for Schreckengast Road, Town Branch and Bluff Road. Those three, along with South Lohman Road, were resurfaced as the county began taking advantage of sales tax revenue dedicated to road maintenance that went into effect July 1. Voters approved the continuation of the sales tax measure in February 2008. Beginning July 1, 70 percent of sales tax receipts are now allocated for roads while the remaining 30 percent is allocated for capital improvements. Based on current projections, county officials anticipate the sales tax will generate $800,000 in 2011.