Section 1277. Station operation and maintenance

The operation, maintenance
  and use of passenger stations shall be public purposes of  the  city  of
  New  York  and  the  counties within the district. The total cost to the
  authority  and  each  of  its  subsidiary  corporations  of   operation,
  maintenance  and  use  of  each  passenger  station  within the district
  serviced by one or more railroad facilities of the authority or of  such
  subsidiary   corporation,   including   the   buildings,  appurtenances,
  platforms, lands and approaches incidental or adjacent thereto, shall be
  borne by the city of New York if such station is located  in  such  city
  or,  if  not located in such city, by such county within the district in
  which such station is located. On or before June first of each year, the
  authority  shall,  in  accordance  with  the  method  specified  herein,
  determine  and certify to the city of New York and to each county within
  the  district  the  respective  allocation  of  costs  related  to   the
  operation,  maintenance  and  use of passenger stations within such city
  and each such other county, for  the  twelve  month  period  ending  the
  preceding March thirty-first.
  For  the  year commencing April first, nineteen hundred ninety-nine, the
  total payment amount to be billed by the authority  for  the  operation,
  maintenance  and  use  of  each passenger station within the city of New
  York and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam,
  Orange, and Rockland shall be calculated by  summing  the  total  amount
  listed  in  the  base  amount table plus an adjustment to such base year
  amount equal to the base amount times the increase or  decrease  in  the
  Consumer  Price  Index for Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the New
  York, Northeastern-New Jersey Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area for
  the twelve-month period being billed.
 
                              BASE AMOUNT TABLE
         County                                Base Amount
         Nassau                                $19,200,000
         Suffolk                               $11,834,091
         Westchester                           $13,269,310
         Dutchess                              $ 1,581,880
         Putnam                                $   618,619
         Orange                                $   327,247
         Rockland                              $    34,791
         City of New York                      $61,435,330
 
  For each year thereafter, such total payment for each such county  shall
  be  the  same  amount  as the total payment during the immediately prior
  year, plus an adjustment equal  to  the  prior  year  amount  times  the
  increase  or  decrease  in the Consumer Price Index for Wage Earners and
  Clerical Workers for the  New  York,  Northeastern-New  Jersey  Standard
  Metropolitan Statistical Area for the twelve-month period being billed.
    On  or  before  the following September first, of each year, such city
  and each such county shall pay to the authority such cost or  amount  so
  certified  to  it  on  or before the preceding June first. Such city and
  each such county shall have power to finance such costs  to  it  by  the
  issuance  of budget notes pursuant to section 29.00 of the local finance
  law. For  the  year  beginning  April  first,  two  thousand  four,  the
  authority,  the  city  of  New York and the counties of Nassau, Suffolk,
  Westchester, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, and Rockland  may,  after  having
  reached  an agreement, recommend to the legislature modifications to the
  amounts set forth above based upon changes  made  to  commuter  services
  including but not limited to changes in the number of passenger stations
  within  such  counties or the level of commuter rail service provided to
  any such passenger stations. Failure between the authority  and  between

  the   counties  to  reach  agreement  will  be  referred  to  the  state
  comptroller for mediation. If the mediation is unsuccessful, each  party
  and  the  state  comptroller may submit a recommendation to the governor
  and the legislature for legislative action.
    In  the  event that a city or county shall fail to make payment to the
  authority for station maintenance as required pursuant to this  section,
  or  any  part  thereof,  the chief executive officer of the authority or
  such other person as the chairman shall designate shall certify  to  the
  state  comptroller  the amount due and owing the authority at the end of
  the state fiscal year  and  the  state  comptroller  shall  withhold  an
  equivalent  amount  from the next succeeding state aid allocated to such
  county  or  city  from  the  motor  fuel  tax  and  the  motor   vehicle
  registration  fee  distributed  pursuant  to  former section one hundred
  twelve of the highway law, or amounts distributed  pursuant  to  section
  ten-c  of  the  highway  law, or per capita local assistance pursuant to
  section fifty-four of the state finance law  subject  to  the  following
  limitations:  prior  to  withholding amounts due the authority from such
  county or city, the comptroller shall pay in full  any  amount  due  the
  state  of  New  York  municipal bond bank agency, on account of any such
  county's or city's  obligation  to  such  agency;  the  city  university
  construction  fund  pursuant  to  the  provisions of the city university
  construction  fund  act;  the  New   York   city   housing   development
  corporation,  pursuant  to  the  provisions of the New York city housing
  development corporation act  (article  twelve  of  the  private  housing
  finance  law);  and  the  transit  construction  fund  pursuant  to  the
  provisions of  title  nine-A  of  article  five  of  this  chapter.  The
  comptroller  shall  give  the director of the budget notification of any
  such payment. Such amount or amounts  so  withheld  by  the  comptroller
  shall  be  paid to the authority and the authority shall use such amount
  for the repayment of the state advances  hereby  authorized.  When  such
  amount  or  amounts  are received by the authority, it shall credit such
  amounts against any amounts due and owing by the city or county on whose
  account such amount was withheld and paid.