CLEVELAND, Ohio — Most Cuyahoga County Council members attended a $200-a-plate dinner for free last fall, but only one reported the gift on state disclosure statements.

At least six others instead relied on an opinion from the county inspector general, who concluded that the actual value of each meal was only $60 -- well below the $100 threshold for declaring food and drink on the ethics forms.

"If it doesn't meet the monetary value, you don't claim it," said Councilman Mike Gallagher, who attended. "I guess it's a personal call, but the letter of the law is if you hit that value, you claim it. The rule is there for a reason, and the dollar value is there for a reason."

But at least one public watchdog questions excluding the free meal on the form.

"It's the perception," said Samuel Gresham, vice chairman of the watchdog group Common Cause Ohio. "If your integrity's high, you report it or you don't take it."

The Greater Cleveland Partnership, the region's chamber of commerce, hosted the annual "Public Officials Reception" last November at the Windows on the River restaurant on the west bank of the Flats.

The 500-person dinner, which has been held for 48 years, features ice sculptures and alcohol and is sponsored by major corporations. There are no speakers, just a gathering of business leaders, state, local and federal officials on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

"We invite a lot," said Partnership president Joe Roman. "It's just a social networking opportunity for business leaders and public officials who would not necessarily cross paths."

Seven of 11 council members acknowledged Tuesday that they had attended the dinner: Dan Brady, President C. Ellen Connally, Yvonne Conwell, Gallagher, Dave Greenspan, Julian Rogers, Jack Schron. County Executive Ed FitzGerald did not attend.

Schron, who did not report the meal, said business executives go to learn what's going on in government. "Everybody and their brother was there."

Only Rogers, who also took his wife, included the meals on his disclosure form, filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission. Brady said he omitted it in 2011 after listing it in 2010 because he was told he did not have to include it.

The annual financial statements aim to help the public track officials' relationships with lobbyists working to influence government and businesses hired at taxpayer expense. Officials must reveal their income sources, real estate holdings and business interests, as well as any gifts worth more than $75 and food and drink worth more than $100. They do not have to divulge how much they make, nor the cost or nature of any gifts.

Forms submitted by council and FitzGerald for 2011, the first year they took office under a charter government voters approved in 2009, are sparse.

Only three council members -- Rogers, Connally and Conwell -- divulged any gifts at all.

That's a departure from the previous government, when then-Commissioner Jimmy Dimora listed more than 50 people each year. Gift-givers included contractors Steven Pumper and Ferris Kleem, who have pleaded guilty in a federal corruption investigation. Dimora is awaiting sentencing after a jury found him guilty of racketeering and 32 other charges.

The charter government has pledged to be transparent and operate honorably.

"We know we're under a microscope, and we're very, very conscientious," Connally said. "We certainly would not want to do anything that would call into question the public trust."

Connally reported receiving Cleveland Browns tickets last fall from attorney Fred Nance. She said if he ever did business with the county, she would recuse herself from voting on the contract.

Conwell listed a gift from Cleveland State University, two basketball tickets and a parking pass.

At least two other council members attended the Cleveland State game with Conwell. Gallagher and Schron sat behind the basket and were served hotdogs. But they didn't report the tickets, which Schron said cost $22 each.

In one of three telephone interviews on Tuesday, Conwell went on to say she typically won't accept a cup of coffee as a gift.

"I just try to say no, I'll buy my own," she said. "That's my motto. I'll buy my own coffee."

During the interviews, Conwell also denied that she attended the chamber reception. She later called back, saying she had attended and blamed her earlier denials on confusion over the fact that the Greater Cleveland Partnership sponsored the event.

She went, she said, because Inspector General Nailah Byrd ruled that the county's ethics ordinance did not prohibit council members from attending. The county's ethics ordinance, which council approved last year, states that no official or employee shall accept "anything of value" that could create substantial and improper influence.

The difference between the chamber dinner and a cup of coffee?

Said Conwell, "There are some events you have to go to."

Plain Dealer Reporter Rachel Dissell contributed to this article.