About Us

At Cherry Creek Waterworks District, our goal is to provide safe, clean, drinking water to all of our residents!

 

Cherry Creek Waterworks District was incorporated as an Improvement District on June 4, 1957.

Improvement Districts are autonomous local government bodies responsible for providing one or more local services for the benefit of the residents in a community. They vary considerably in size, from small subdivisions, to urban communities. Improvement Districts are usually located in rural areas of the province where there was no alternative form of local governance available, suitable, or desirable for the community. They are similar in structure to a municipality but are more informal and only provide direct services such as waterworks, fire protection or street lighting. There are more than 200 improvement districts operating in the province.

Improvement districts are administered by an elected Board of Trustees, one of whom has the additional duty of Chair. Each trustee is elected for a three-year term by the eligible landowners of the Improvement District. To be eligible to vote, or to be a candidate for trustee, a person must be eighteen years of age, a Canadian citizen, an owner of land in the improvement district and a B.C. resident for the previous six months.

The Improvement District’s Letters Patent, applicable sections of the Local Government Act, and other applicable provincial statutes outline the powers that can be exercised by the Board of Trustees. These powers include the ability to enact and enforce its regulations and charges, to assess and collect taxes, to acquire, hold and dispose of lands, to borrow money and to expropriate lands required to carry out its functions. The Board of Trustees exercise these powers through the passage of resolutions and bylaws.

Although Improvement Districts are independent public corporations, they are also subject to supervision by the Ministry. All bylaws passed by the Board of Trustees must be sent to the Ministry.  In addition, each year the Improvement District’s audited financial statements and the minutes of its annual general meeting are reviewed and filed with the Ministry.