A crowd of people erupted in applause at the Burleigh County Commission meeting Monday evening, after a unanimous vote moved forward the paving of 149th Avenue.

The commission voted for a resolution of necessity for a 2.45-mile stretch of road north of Bismarck and east of U.S. Highway 83; the contentious issue had been in front of the commission since January, after the neighborhood presented a petition to pave in which landowners within two miles of the road would contribute toward the cost of paving, as well as the county and the township.

Landowners for and against the measure presented their cases, which revolved around safety and health or property valuations. Most landowners against the measure said that they felt they would not significantly benefit from the paving but would have to pay the same cost of paving as others who would benefit more.

The cost per landowner is about $1,200 to be stretched out over a 10-year time period.

The commission previously had been previously split on the measure: Commissioners Jerry Woodcox and Jim Peluso were supportive of the project, while Marlan Haakenson and Mark Armstrong opposed it.

Commissioner Doug Schonert had abstained from voting, citing a conflict of interest as his brother and sister own property adjacent to the road, and, as a real estate agent, Schonert had been selling the property for them. Paving the road would increase the value of that property, thus increasing his commission, he said.

But Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem recently ruled that Schonert "has a duty to vote on the question,"in the case of a tie-break.

After hearing several cases about the safety of the road and the health issues presented from flying dust and debris, all commissioners voted for the measure. Haakenson said, however, that paving a road may encourage more speeding, making it just as dangerous as an unpaved road.

Another issue of note discussed was the approval of the Bismarck-Mandan Regional Future Land Use Plan, presented by Joel Quanbeck from Ulteig Engineers.

Although there was contention from Schonert about unassigned land near the Missouri River, the commission voted unanimously to approve the plan, which will then be sent to Morton County Commission, the city of Mandan and the city of Bismarck for approval.

Other issues included requests for a variance from a moratorium on land in the Fort Rice Township; a request for a waiver to allow a second residence to be placed on a 40-acre plot of land in the Burnt Creek Township; discussion of a public benefit bargain at Hawktree and discussion of the county engineer's monthly report.