A wicker basket sits on a side table behind Councilman Brent Hoffman's seat in the City Council Chambers.

During council and budget meetings, it's not unusual to see a council member leave his seat, bend over the basket, rummage around and take something back to his desk. On occasion, City Manager Paul Eckert carries the basket around like Little Red Riding hood offering its contents to reporters attending his weekly press conferences.

What's inside? Treats: Snickers bars, M&Ms, Kellogg's Fruity Snacks, peanuts, little packages of chips and other candy. If offered, I sneak one of the strawberry fruit snack packs.

What are the councilmen's favorite snacks?

"Cashews, when we have them," Councilman Jim Rixner said. "Kit Kats and your favorite fruit snacks, in that order."

Mayor Mike Hobart told me, "My favorite are the fruit snacks, but I try to stay away from them and eat the peanuts because the fruit snacks stick to my teeth and I am self-conscious about them when I am reading the agenda items. If I did not have that responsibility, no fruit snack would be safe!"

"I rarely visit the snack basket," said Councilman Hoffman. "Tried the fruit snacks once or twice and they reminded me of flavored rubber. At the movies, I enjoy Reese's Pieces, Milk Duds or Smarties."

While Hoffman avoids the fruit snacks, Councilman Dave Ferris does not. "I like the fruit snacks and cashews. Good flavor and you feel, at least with the fruit snacks, that you are eating something a little bit healthy."

The exception? Councilman Aaron Rochester. He doesn't like to eat while speaking in public. "And I don't like to eat in front of people. I might have had one bag of peanuts or two -- out of desperation." Why? He was hungry.

Ferris and several others recalled that former Mayor Craig Berenstein enjoyed peanut M&Ms and sometimes lined them up in front of him on the council table. Former Mayor Karen Van De Steeg selected regular M&Ms. Former Councilman Jason Geary munched Gardetto's snack mix.

Who keeps the basket filled? It's just one of the unsung duties of Ann Marie Skaggs, Eckert's administrative assistant. She also pens many of the well-written proclamations read by the mayor on an almost weekly basis.

She fills the basket on Tuesdays.

"If I haven't watched the meeting (on Cable TV), when I come in on Tuesday I can tell how long the meeting went. If it's nearly empty, I know it was a long one."

The treats, Skaggs said, are "a small way of saying thank you to the council. I had no idea of the enormous time commitment required of a City Council member until I started working here."

Council members attend a variety of meetings, welcome groups who are attending conventions, cut ribbons and field telephone calls from residents on a daily basis.

There's no line item in the city budget for snacks, but they're covered by the City Council's budgetary allocation.

As another city official once said, "A full council is a happy council."

If Jake the dog garnered enough write-in votes for council in yesterday's election and wins a spot on the dais (not likely), Skaggs will have to add a new tidbit to the basket -- dog biscuits.