The Rayleigh Waterworks Improvement District is an Improvement District operating within the boundaries of the City of Kamloops.

Improvement District are autonomous Local Government bodies responsible for the provision of one or more local services for the benefit of the residents in a community. These districts vary considerable 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 Local Governance available, suitable, or desirable for the community.

Improvement Districts are brought into existence by the Provincial Government through Cabinet Orders which authorize the passage of a document known as Letters Patent. The Letters Patent contain the name of the Improvement District, its boundary and the services which it will provide to the residents within that boundary.

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. The Improvement Districts Letters Patent, applicable section 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 land 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 of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. Certain bylaws passed by the Board of Trustees must be registered with the Inspector of Municipalities and those bylaws are not effective until that approval is granted. Other bylaws are exempt from registration with the Inspector and they are effective immediately upon passage of a resolution by the board of trustees.