North Carolina’s Department of Transportation announced it is reviewing up to 1,000 temporary and contract jobs for temporary layoffs, the Raleigh News & Observer reports. Those positions are vulnerable, in part, because NCDOT has paid $675 million over the past three years responding to storm damage. Compensation for decades of property takings under the unconstitutional Map Act accounts for the rest of the budget hit.
Now, as NCDOT settles with the individual owners, it not only must pay for their property but also legal fees and damages for the lost value of the property over the years. [Chief Operating Officer Bobby] Lewis said NCDOT has spent $311 million settling Map Act cases so far, and that the final cost could exceed $1 billion.
NCDOT is considering alternative ways to pay for construction and operations.
