Being A Director

For those that are thinking of what is involved to be a regional director (RD) for the North Shuswap. Being that some people will hopefully be taking a run at this position, I thought it be best to give them a idea if it is one can expect to do. I suppose there are 2 things that the duties of a RD can be divided up to. One is the expected mandated work load from the CSRD and secondly the community needs (as you may see them). They are both important to someone and varies or depends on how you feel they are important. At the end of the day, it depends on how much time you want to dedicate and how you organize your time; as to what time you give to the community.
The CSRD work load would be things such as attending Board meetings, Electoral Area Directors meetings, budget meeting (both usually most of the day – starting from 9am to 4 pm at the longest), Economic Development/Tourism Meetings, Milfoil meetings, Shuswap Emergency Planning and Noxious Weed Meetings. Board Meetings are once a month and EAD meetings about every 3 months, the rest of the meeting vary from every 3 months to once or twice a year. You maybe requested to go on other meetings such as the Local Advisory Coast Guard, Fraser Basin Council and others they maybe given to you from the Chair of the CSRD and are often coveted by other Board members as they are either interesting to them and or have a higher frequency of meetings (payment is for each meeting you go to). There are conventions that you are expected to attend as well you get paid to attend those. These would be the Southern Interior Local Government Associations, Union of BC Municipalities, Federation of Canadian Municipalities and BC Electoral Directors conferences. These are usually from 3 to 5 days long. There is a stipend your are paid to do your monthly CSRD duties in the communities. These would be answering emails, phone calls, chairing public meetings, Parks meetings, APC meetings, VFD meetings and attending open houses connected to the CSRD. Answering emails is a floating unknown. There are weeks where there will hardly be a handful (rare but it has happened), then there will be days of 20, 30- 40 emails a day. Phone calls are along the same way but from weeks with no calls to days of 20 or more a day. In both cases some can take a short time to deal with and others use up a bulk of your time either explaining or researching the answers. I find dealing with emails or phone calls as soon as possible is the best, however frustrating to deal every day for a few hours or longer, it is better than answering 60 emails because you were away for 3 days.