Mercer County Regional Council of Governments’ executives ordered dinner and had nine budgets approved before main courses were served at a meeting in downtown Sharon Wednesday.

Bottom lines on five of the budgets are meatier than this year, but all nine were approved unanimously. COG’s $258,000 plan is 4 percent larger than this year’s but COG members pay the same assessments, which bring in 11 percent of the revenue.

COG project fees bring in three-quarters of the money. The computer and recreation specialists -- husband-and-wife tandem Jason and Melissa Koch -- figure to bring in a combined $19,000 more than they did this year by providing more services outside the COG building.

Projects projected to yield the same revenue as this year, with the amount in parentheses are: Shenango Valley Shuttle Service ($80,000), Mercer County Community Transit ($30,000), Chestnut Run Swim Beach ($11,500), Shenango Valley Regional Lockup ($9,000), Shenango Valley Animal Shelter ($6,500), Shenango Valley Softball Recreation Complex ($1,000), Lackawannock-Shenango-West Middlesex Pool ($1,000).

COG salaries increase except for Executive Director James DeCapua’s, whose salary stays at $58,900. DeCapua, who turns 56 on Christmas Eve, has $15,000 put toward a retirement account next year -- $4,500 more than this year.

A budget review committee crunched numbers before executives gathered on the second floor of Chestnut Street Cafe Wednesday to munch.