Plans for the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments to take over the Greenville lockup were tabled at a closed-door meeting Tuesday night, Greenville Mayor Cliff Harriger told the COG board Wednesday night.

"We're looking into ways in which Greenville could handle it themselves," Harriger said.

When questioned several times by Mercer County Commissioner Chairman Cloyd E. "Gene" Brenneman, the commissioners' representative to COG, Harriger reiterated that the proposal was tabled during an "executive meeting with borough council" the night before.

Council President Richard S. Houpt said this morning, however, that nothing was tabled during the meeting, which he noted was announced in advance and held to discuss legal and contractual matters, in compliance with the state's Sunshine Law.

"You can't even make a tabling motion at an executive session. We didn't table it (the proposal)," Houpt said.

"We just discussed it and decided not to do it, or at least to hold off on doing anything until we meet with the coordinator" appointed by the state to help the borough craft a fiscal-recovery plan under the state's Act 47 program for financially distressed communities.

This morning, Harriger said that the takeover plans had been "tabled or put on hold," acknowledging that no formal action could be taken during an executive session, "but in effect, that's what it was."

The borough, facing a deficit of more than $1 million, was formally declared a financially distressed community under Act 47 early this month.

Last month, Harriger asked COG to take over the operation of the jail because he said there would be no money to run the lockup as of 4 p.m. May 3 and the COG board agreed.

Greenville council still has not made a decision concerning the mayor's request for COG to operate the jail.

COG had drawn up a preliminary annual budget of $42,000 to cover the costs of the lockup.

Harriger said Wednesday that a preliminary budget he saw several weeks ago totaled $62,000 a year. COG Executive Director James DeCapua explained the budget was revised because some figures were incorrect concerning the number of prisoners the jail houses each year.

The COG board tabled any decisions about the lockup until Greenville council makes a move.