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Thursday, July 23, 2009

BREAKING News: Kentucky Association Of Counties (KACO) President, Michael Foster, Yanks Credit Cards From Scofflaws. Read More Below.

KACo takes away credit cards, calls for review
By Ryan Alessi

Kentucky Association of Counties president J. Michael Foster stripped the organization's staff of its credit cards and called for a management review on Thursday.

In addition, KACo's executive committee accepted the resignation of its past president, Spencer County Judge-Executive David Jenkins, from the board. Foster said he received a letter from Jenkins late Wednesday.

Jenkins came under fire after the Herald-Leader reported that charges to two strip clubs and a Lexington escort service were charged on his KACo-issued credit card while he was the organization's president in 2008.

Foster, the Christian County Attorney, made the announcements at a special KACo board meeting Thursday, in which he also asked the board to approve a permanent auditing committee to oversee KACo's financing and report to the board of directors.

The board of directors unanimously approved the committee, which will include chairman Carolyn Belcher, who is the Bath County judge-executive and a certified public accountant, as well as Daviess County Judge-Executive Reid Haire and Johnson County Judge-Executive R.T. "Tucker" Daniel.

Haire, a Democrat, worked for the IRS for 27 years. Daniel is the former president of Kentucky-West Virginia Gas Co.

The management review will be conducted by former Madison County Attorney Bobby Russell, who has worked as state Transportation Cabinet inspector general and general counsel.

The board, at Foster's request, also approved setting aside $250,000 from KACo's contingency funds to cover the costs of Russell's review, as well as costs associated with state Auditor Crit Luallen's investigation into KACo's spending.

A Herald-Leader review last month found that the top five staff members at KACo spent $600,000 in two years on travel, meals and other expenses. Those included $500-a-night hotel rooms, sports tickets, gifts and meals costing as much as $7,000.

Editor's comment: Thanks, Mike and Ryan Alessi.

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