§ 3654. General powers of the authority. Except as otherwise limited by this title, the authority shall have the following powers in addition to those specially conferred elsewhere in this title, subject only to agreements with bondholders:

1. to sue and be sued;

2. to have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;

3. to make and alter by-laws for its organization and management and, subject to agreements with its bondholders, to make and alter rules and regulations governing the exercise of its powers and fulfillment of its purposes under this title;

4. to make and execute contracts and all other instruments or agreements necessary or convenient to carry out any powers and functions expressly given in this title;

5. to commence any action to protect or enforce any right conferred upon it by any law, contract or other agreement;

6. to borrow money and issue bonds, or to refund the same, and to provide for the rights of the holders of its bonds;

7. as security for the payment of the principal of and interest on any bonds issued by it pursuant to this title and any agreements made in connection therewith and for its obligations under bond facilities, to pledge all or any part of its revenues or assets;

8. to procure insurance, letters of credit or other credit enhancement with respect to its bonds, or facilities for the payment of tenders of such bonds or facilities for the payment upon maturity of short-term notes not renewed;

9. to enter into interest rate exchange or similar arrangements with any person under such terms and conditions as the authority may determine, not inconsistent with the general laws of this state and other provisions of this title, including, without limitation, provisions as to default or early termination and indemnification by the authority or any other party thereto for loss of benefits as a result thereof; provided, however, that such exchanges or similar arrangements shall be limited to fifty percent of the amount authorized in subdivision one of section thirty-six hundred fifty-six of this article to pay the financeable costs described in paragraph (a) of subdivision eleven of section thirty-six hundred fifty-one of this article;

10. to procure insurance, letters of credit or other credit enhancement with respect to arrangements described in subdivision nine of this section;

11. to accept gifts, grants, loans or contributions of funds or financial or other aid in any form from the county, state or federal government or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or from any other source and to expend the proceeds for any of its corporate purposes in accordance with the provisions of this title;

12. subject to the provisions of any contract with bondholders, to invest any funds held in reserves or sinking funds, or any funds not required for immediate use or disbursement, at the discretion of the authority, in (a) obligations of the state or the United States government, (b) obligations the principal and interest of which are guaranteed by the state or the United States government, (c) certificates of deposit, whether negotiable or non-negotiable, and banker's acceptances of any of the fifty largest banks in the United States which bank, at the time of investment, has an outstanding unsecured, uninsured and unguaranteed debt issue ranked in either of the two highest rating categories of two nationally recognized independent rating agencies, (d) commercial paper of any bank or corporation created under the laws of either the United States or any state of the United States which commercial paper, at the time of the investment, has received the highest rating of two nationally recognized independent rating agencies, (e) bonds, debentures, or other evidences of indebtedness, issued or guaranteed at the time of the investment by the federal national mortgage association, federal home loan mortgage corporation, student loan marketing association, federal farm credit system, or any other United States government sponsored agency, provided that at the time of the investment such agency receives, or its obligations receive, any of the three highest rating categories of two nationally recognized independent rating agencies, (f) any bonds or other obligations of any state or the United States of America or of any political subdivision thereof or any agency, instrumentality or local governmental unit of any such state or political subdivision which bonds or other obligations, at the time of the investment, have received any of the three highest ratings of two nationally recognized independent rating agencies, (g) any repurchase agreement with any bank or trust company organized under the laws of any state of the United States of America or any national banking association or government bond dealer reporting to, trading with, and recognized as a primary dealer by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which agreement is secured by any one or more of the securities described in paragraph (a), (b) or (e) of this subdivision which securities shall at all times have a market value of not less than the full amount of the repurchase agreement and be delivered to another bank or trust company organized under the laws of New York State or any national banking association domiciled in New York State, as custodian, and (h) reverse repurchase agreements with any bank or trust company organized under the laws of any state of the United States of America or any national banking association or government bond dealer reporting to, trading with, and recognized as a primary dealer by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which agreement is secured by any one or more of the securities described in paragraph (a), (b) or (e) of this subdivision which securities shall at all times have a market value of not less than the full amount of the repurchase agreement and be delivered to another bank or trust company organized under the laws of New York State or any national banking association domiciled in New York State, as custodian.

13. to appoint such officers and employees as it may require for the performance of its duties and to fix and determine their qualifications, duties, and compensation, and to retain or employ counsel, auditors and private financial consultants and other services on a contract basis or otherwise for rendering professional, business or technical services and advice; and, in taking such actions, the authority shall consider the financial impact on the county; and

14. to do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes and exercise the powers expressly given and granted in this title; provided, however, such authority shall under no circumstances acquire, hold or transfer title to, lease, own beneficially or otherwise, manage, operate or otherwise exercise control over any real property, any improvement to real property or any interest therein other than a lease or sublease of office space deemed necessary or desirable by the authority.