Membership on the Board of Directors arises through the political process. Therefore, the primary role of Directors is to meet political responsibilities as representatives of the electoral area for which they have been elected.
The Board is also responsible for intergovernmental relations when matters require the attention of the Provincial or Federal Governments.
Regional districts serve three important purposes
- they are the local governments for their unincorporated electoral areas;
- they provide the political and administrative framework necessary for electoral areas to collaborate in the provision of sub-regional services; and
- they are regional service bodies responsible for providing important regional services to, and undertaking key activities on behalf of, their entire region.
The Board of Directors acts in an executive role by articulating board policy and direction, by setting the vision for Regional District development and determining the pace and manner in which staff carry out Regional District business.
The Board is responsible for policy formulation, financing the operations of the Regional District, appointing the officer positions, and for establishing standing committees and various commissions to undertake the operations of the Regional District.
Once in office, one of the basic duties of the directors is to determine the wishes of the people that he or she represents before voting on matters on the Board´s agenda. At the same time, he or she must be prepared to examine an issue to determine its regional impact before voting on it. Balancing various competing interests is an integral part of the decision-making role of Regional Board members.
Regional district boards respond to locally expressed needs for service, consult with residents about which services they can provide, where they are to be provided, and how the services are to be financed. A variety of forms of consultation are used, including referenda and the receipt of petitions. (See also “Services” for a listing of services currently provided by the CCRD.)