Austin mayor Tom Steihm looks at the weight from the county’s food donation in the annual City vs. County food drive Friday at the Mower County recycling center. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Though the city continued its winning streak in the annual city-county holiday food drive competition this year, public employees donated a little more than half of its 2012 total.

City and county employees raised 1,186 pounds of food for the Austin Salvation Army Food Shelf over a three-week period ending at noon Friday. About 135 city employees donated 490 pounds of food, or 3.43 pounds per employee, while county employees donated 696 pounds of food, or 2.69 per employee. In total, city and county employees have donated 39,685 pounds of food over the past 21 years.

Jeff Weaver, solid waste officer at the Mower County Recycling Center, puts a pallet of city-donated food on the scale as totals are added up for the annual City vs. County food drive. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

“I would have liked to have broken 40,000 pounds this year,” Jeff Weaver, solid waste officer at the Mower County Recycling Center, said.

City and county officials agreed many employees donated healthy foods this year, but likely donated to other causes throughout the area during the holiday season, which could account for the dip in donations this year.

In 2012, city and county employees donated 2,039 pounds of food, and about 2,028 pounds of food in 2011.

Still, public officials were pleased to see so many people donating to local food shelves during the Salvation Army’s busiest time of the year.

“We don’t care about winning or losing,” said Mayor Tom Stiehm. “This all goes toward a good cause. It’s donated by our people and goes back to our people.”

Weaver will appear before the Austin City Council in January to commemorate the city’s victory.