Municipal councils and regional district boards

Municipalities and regional districts are represented by elected officials who exercise the powers and perform the obligations of the local government with input from staff and citizens.

Provincial legislation sets out the:

• Roles of mayor and council
• Roles of regional district directors, their voting strength and voting process at the board table
• Accountability of councils and boards through meetings and procedures
• Public engagement processes
• Rules to guide the deliberations of elected officials

Municipal councils

Each municipal council in B.C. consists of a mayor and between four and ten councillors depending on the population of the municipality.

Learn more about the responsibilities of mayors and councillors and municipal council procedures.

• Municipal council organization
• Municipal procedure bylaw

Regional district boards

Regional district boards consist of members representing electoral areas, municipalities and Treaty First Nations. The size of the board varies depending on the composition of the regional district area.

Learn more about regional district board directors and procedures including eligibility, responsibilities and how voting works at the board level:

• Regional district board organization
• Regional district procedure bylaw

Local government administration

Local government administrative staff implement the direction and decisions set by municipal councils and regional district boards.

Learn more about: 

• Local government administration
• Staff learning and development (professional development and certification through programs offered by the Board of Examiners)

Council and board procedures

Municipal councils and regional district boards make decisions, participate and vote at meetings in line with provincial legislation and procedure bylaws.

• Council and board procedures (includes procedure bylaws, roles, decision making and voting)

Local government meetings

Local government meetings are gatherings where municipal council or regional district board members make decisions or move toward making decisions. Typically, meetings are open to the public to facilitate transparency and accountability of the council or board.

• Local government meetings (procedures and legislative requirements)

Local government public engagement

Local governments can engage with citizens in a variety of informal and formal ways. Informal engagement includes open houses and non-binding community opinion polls, while formal engagement includes legislatively required local government consent or elector approval.

• Local government public engagement