"This is definitely something that we are very conscious of and very careful about," Seed said. "Since Mayor Anderson took office, we cut back considerably in the food budget."

Across the hall, the City Council spent more than $13,000 on food last year. Meals for council members and the mayor's office prior to council meetings cost taxpayers $7,674, while lunch meetings for staffers and council members cost another $4,060.

Those costs are less than 1 percent of the council's $1.54 million annual budget.

City Council members used to take turns buying meals out of their own pockets for the council and staff to eat during council meetings. The city changed that policy several years ago, however, because potential council members who came from lower economic levels might not be able to afford it when it came their turn to treat.

Council executive director Cindy Gust-Jenson said many city staffers attend strategy sessions right up until meeting time. They aren't always able to slip away for dinner.

Likewise, city employees are sometimes forced to work through lunch so they can't escape to run errands or grab a bite.

"(Providing meals) is the most efficient use of the staffing resources and the dollar resources we have," Gust-Jenson said.

Also, most city staffers attending council meetings, planning commission meetings and other city board meetings are high-level, salaried employees who don't get paid overtime for working late.

Besides full-time workers, City Council members also receive free meals before each council and Redevelopment Agency Board meeting.

The RDA spent nearly $5,000 on food last year, the majority of which went to feed council members and RDA staffers before meetings, RDA executive director David Oka said.

City administrators say that since meetings start at 5:30 p.m., council members may not have time to get food before the meeting. Still, most council members are able to make it to City Hall a half-hour before their meeting to consume a free meal.

"It makes us get there on time so we can walk in (the council hall) as one body, so we don't straggle in as a group," Councilman Van Turner said. "It's a good time for all of us to get on board and find out what we're doing."

The pre-meeting meals also offer council members a chance to talk about local issues with city administrators who they might not be able to reach otherwise, Turner said.

At Common Cause of Utah, chairman Anthony Musci said it's better for taxpayers to pay for government meals than have special interests buying the food.