§ 99-a. Appointment of employees of appellate divisions in the third and fourth departments. The justices of the appellate division of the supreme court in the third and fourth departments, or a majority of them, are authorized to appoint and at pleasure remove not more than two additional employees, than are employed at the time this act takes effect, to prescribe the duties and fix the salaries thereof. Except as provided in the state finance law, such salaries shall be certified by the appropriate presiding justice of each such appellate division to the state comptroller who shall audit the same. The state department of taxation and finance shall pay such salaries in equal semi-monthly instalments, and shall apportion the total amount thereof among the counties comprising the appropriate judicial department. Such counties shall reimburse the state for such salaries. The time and method of such apportionment and the time and method of such reimbursement shall be as specified in section seventy-four of this chapter.