In the surveying of land between Graham and Swain counties, a line managed to migrate, or perhaps it was ambiguously recorded. The result was a dispute worth, in some estimations, $15 million, accruing since 1943. The problem was, the county line ran through property where the TVA built three generators, and the federal government makes payments in lieu of taxes to counties where its projects remove land from the tax rolls.
Swain and Graham counties used to split the PILT’s 50-50, but in 2010, Graham filed a lawsuit demanding Swain reimburse it for funds wrongfully received. Unfortunately, Graham was basing its claims on what has since been determined to be a flawed map used by the NC Department of Revenue, which located all three generators in Graham. Following mediation, that tried to establish the county line through historical documents, it was decided that two generators were in Graham, and one in Swain. Representatives from the counties were happy to cut their losses in legal fees. The PILT per generator is estimated to be $8000 to $12,000 a month.
