CARMEL – Maintenance at Putnam County’s six MTA Railroad stations will be costing taxpayers over $1.2 million this year an increase of $45,944.
The stations are located on both the eastern and western sides of the county and are served by the Harlem and Hudson lines.
The Harlem Line serves Brewster, Southeast, and Patterson, while the Hudson Line serves Manitou, Garrison, and Cold Spring.
In a memo, James McGovern, MTA deputy chief, told county lawmakers the maintenance provided by the railroad includes buildings, appurtenances, platforms, lands and approaches.
McGovern said, “each year the change in the CPI factor is applied against the prior year’s billed amount to arrive at the current year’s amount. The CPI increased 3.7 percent for the period April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026,” resulting in the nearly $46,000 increase.
At this week’s regular monthly meeting of the Putnam Legislature, Legislator Tommy Regan of Brewster demanded to know exactly how much the MTA spent on Putnam’s six stations. “The CPI may have increased by 3.7 percent but how do we know that amount was expended in Putnam County,” he queried.
Montgomery of Philipstown promised to contact Putnam’s MTA Board representative, Neil Zuckerman, and find out.
Despite Regan’s concern, the resolution was approved by a 6-2 vote.
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