In two years, the Kentucky Association of Counties paid for 50 meals costing $1,000 or more for a total of $128,608. Some of those bills covered the cost of dozens of lunches and snacks catered for training sessions. But the majority were dinners at steakhouses and fine restaurants, usually for KACo executives and county officials from Kentucky. Most of those meals were charged on the credit card of Executive Director Bob Arnold.

The costliest single events were:

$7,237, Sal's Chophouse in Lexington, November 2008.

$7,083, Starker's Restaurant in Kansas City, July 2008.

$6,359, Jeff Ruby's, a Louisville steakhouse, August 2007.

$6,222, Jeff Ruby's, Louisville, August 2008.

$6,107, Portofino, Lexington, November 2007.

$5,617, Morton's the Steakhouse, Richmond, Va., July 2007.

$4,886, JW's Steakhouse at Lexington's Marriott Griffin Gate Hotel, February 2008.

$4,800, Vincenzo's, Louisville, July 2007.