The North Shore Settlement was a big thing for years. The federal government promised Swain County it would build a road to serve properties flooded with the creation of Fontana Dam. That was back in 1943. The government never built the road, but in 2010, legislators were able to successfully lobby a settlement. Now, the state holds an account from which it may disburse funds to Swain at its pleasure or whim. This year, Swain received its full request, which was included in, and constitutes about 2% of, the county’s operating budget.