Because the gift is given for a county job, Patterson said he assumed it was not allowed. Similar questions were raised by county engineers, he added, who are often given free seminars and samples by vendors.

"It seems like we've gone a little bit too far this time," he said.

Bradley too said the zero tolerance may be a little overboard, even though he advocated for the absolute ban last month.

"We don't want to be so picky that it's not enforceable or doesn't matter so no one takes it very seriously," he said. "It may be simple, but is it practical?"

For Bradley, the more important question on buying county favor is who is giving campaign contributions to council members or to the mayor. Those dollar figures, he said, far outweigh any amount of lunches or token gifts given by lobbying groups.

And at least one council member is trying to shed some light on just who is getting paid by local interest groups.

Councilman Mark Crockett is set to introduce a new measure next week to tighten the county's conflict of interest regulations. The ordinance would prohibit any county employee from debating or voting on a project in which they have a financial interest.

That ban extends from county council members down to staffers like county planners who may have an interest in the zoning of a particular parcel.

"If I'm going to make money on it personally, I should not be voting on it," Crockett said.

The proposal would also require disclosure by officers or employees of any conflict of interest prior to discussion, including campaign contributions greater than $500.

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E-mail: estewart@desnews.com