Kelowna

$13,400.

That's how much taxpayer money Kelowna Mayor Walter Gray says the city was forced to 'waste' on two separate eight-page ads in the Kelowna Capital News.

Walter Gray, The city can't sit idly by . . . 

The ads are part of the city's obligation to inform its citizens of the pending sale of the city power utility to FortisBC.

It also satisfied the Community Charter which states municipalities must publish such information twice.

Gray bemoaned the requirement a week ago and has now gone one step further in gaining council's endorsement to try and get the province to amend the charter.

"First of all write a letter to the minister that governs municipal affairs - Bill Bennett from the Kootenays who is the minister in charge and point this out to him - that we think it's time to recognize it's 2013," says Gray.

"Possibly prepare a resolution for UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) and this is a provincial issue, not just an Okanagan issue."

Gray says the city can't sit idly by and pay that kind of money - a waste of taxpayer money - without at least trying to get the government to consider change.

"We all know the more efficient way of doing that would be an ad saying if you need all this information it's posted at City Hall. If you need a hard copy we will deliver it by courier it necessary."

"Everybody, I'm sure even the publishers of the Capital News, would agree the taxpayers wasted $13,400 on something we could still disseminate to the public if we caught up with modern technology."

Gray admits change won't happen overnight but says it will never happen if it doesn't start somewhere.