Local Government Elections

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

British Columbia's Local Government Elections for Mayor, Councillor's, Electoral Area Directors will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2018, as well, School Trustee elections will also be held on Saturday, October 20, 2018.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has prepared and published a series of election guides for the upcoming October 20th Election, and copies of these Guides are below for your convenience:

• What Every Candidate Needs to Know.
• Candidates Guide to Local Elections in BC
• Elector Organization Guide to Local Elections in BC
• General Local Elections 101.
• Thinking About Running for Local Office?
• Voter's Guide to Local Elections in BC - 2018.

For answers to questions pertaining to the Local Government Election guides listed above, please contact Municipal Affairs and Housing at www.gov.bc.ca/localelections.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION relating to the General Local Election, please contact the following persons:

Melisa Miles, Chief Election Officer at mmiles@loganlake.ca
Sherry Verheyen, Deputy Chief Election Officer at sverheyen@loganlake.ca

District of Logan Lake
PO Box 190, #1 Opal Drive
Logan Lake, BC  V0K 1W0
P: 250-523-6225
F: 250-523-6678

2. WHY I WANT TO BE ELECTED AS A COUNCIL MEMBER IN LOGAN LAKE

As the Mayor and/or Councillor for the District of Logan Lake, I want to:

• represent the Community, not just those who voted for me;
• be involved in establishing and moving the vision of our community forward;
• vote on issues such as development applications, services and/or infrastructure with an open mind; and
• work within a dynamic team.

What's Involved in Being a Council Member

Being a member of a municipal Council is essentially a part-time job with full-time commitments.  You may be spending long hours in Council meetings, community engagements, community consultations, and other commitments, while balancing home and work life outside of public office.

The conduct and governance of Local Government is legislatively mandated under the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, which governs legal proceedings and activities of a municipal Council.  In addition, the District of Logan Lake Council Procedures Bylaw 831, 2018 click here, establishes general procedures to be followed by Council and Committees, in conducting municipal business.

Time Commitment

Meetings:

• Two scheduled Council meetings are held per month - the second and fourth Tuesdays (September to June) with only one meeting in July, August and December;
• Incamera Council meetings are held when necessary;
• Special Council meetings are held when necessary;
• Public Hearings are held when necessary to address development zoning issues;
• Each year members of Council are appointed to various committees (ie: Economic Development, Public Works, Lake Enhancement Working Groups, etc.).  Committees of Council generally meet on a monthly basis or as identified within their Terms of Reference; and
• Each year the Mayor designates Council Liason Appointments to various organizations and/or governing bodies, which include the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

Conventions:

There are three main annual conventions that Council members may attend:

• Southern Interior Local Government Association in May each year;
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities (optional) in June; and
• Union of BC Municipalities in September.

Events:

Council may be involved in the organization of and/or attendance at the following events hosted by the District:

• Flag Raising/Citizen of the Year;
• Canada Day;
• Logan Lake Day;
• Remembrance Day; and
• Skate with Santa.

Other Municipal related Council commitments and/or Business may include:

• Inquiries from residents and/or visitors at any time;
• Invitations to a range of events;
• Reading and researching Council and/or Committee meeting information packages prior to the meetings;
• Driving to view specific projects that may be in question (bylaw enforcement, rezoning or development projects);
• Public availability outside of formal Council meetings.

Compensation for Council Business:

Council members are compensated as per the District's Travel Expenses and Council Remuneration Bylaw as follows:

• Mayor's monthly indemnity is $1,397 (2018 Rates);
• Councillor's monthly indemnity is $743 (2018 Rates);
• Travel expenses including mileage, accommodation and meals are provided;
• Registration costs for conferences, courses, workshops, seminars, conventions and public functions and/or events are provided; and
• the District maintains life Insurance of not less than $250,000.00 per person for members of Council and staff when travelling on behalf of the municipality.

3. QUALIFICATIONS FOR OFFICE

Who May Run

A person is qualified to be nominated, elected and hold office as a member of local government if they meet the following criteria:

• Are 18 years of age on or before General Voting Day;
• Are a Canadian citizen;
• Have been a resident of British Columbia for at least 6 months immediately before the day nominations papers are filed; and
• Have not been disqualified by any statute or law, from being nominated, elected or holding office.

Who May Not Run

You may not run for local governmnet office if you are:

• A Judge of the Provincial Court, Supreme Court or Court of Appeal;
• An employee of the local government (unless you have taken a leave of absence to run for office and agree to resign if elected), including if you are running as a regional district electoral area director when employed by a municipality which is a member of that regional district;
• Convicted or an offence under Division 17, Part 3 of the Local Government Act.

For further information on these matters or General Election questions, please get in touch with Melisa Miles or Sherry Verheyen at the contacts below:

Videos - 2018 Local General Elections

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has released a new series of videos to help prospective candidates navigate the election process.

Please click here to link you to four videos from the Ministy.