The Fraser Valley Regional District Board, this evening, re-elected City of Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz as the 2014 Board Chair and acclaimed Abbotsford City Councillor, Patricia Ross as Vice-Chair.
The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) derives its authority to govern primarily under the Local Government Act and the Community Charter of British Columbia.
Like its municipal counterparts, regional districts deliver a wide variety of services to its citizens. The range of services that the FVRD delivers is extensive – services like water supply, sewer, street lighting, garbage collection and fire protection are delivered on a much localized level, while other services such as E911, regional parks, mosquito control or solid waste management are delivered on a regional level. Regional districts deliver services on a user-pay basis and only those individuals who benefit from the service pay for the service.
The FVRD board is presided over by the chair of the board and is comprised of the following members:
- seven electoral area representatives representing the unincorporated areas of the region,
- six municipal directors from the City of Abbotsford,
- four municipal directors from the City of Chilliwack,
- two municipal directors from the District of Mission,
- one municipal director from the District of Kent,
- one municipal director from the District of Hope, and
- one municipal director from the Village of Harrison Hot Springs.
Municipal directors on the board are appointed at will by their respective municipal councils. Electoral area directors are elected to office for a three-year term at each general local election. Like a municipal council, the regional board establishes policy, sets short- and long-term strategic goals and objectives, creates the vision for the region and is responsive to its constituency at large. Regional district management and staff are responsible for implementing the board’s policy directives.