Tribal council approves amendment to 2025 operating budget, declares emergency

The Cherokee Nation Tribal Council voted to approve Act 25-011, an amendment to Legislative Act 34-24 authorizing the comprehensive operating budget for fiscal year 2025, and declared an emergency. Councilman Cody Poindexter placed the measure "in the form of a motion," saying: "25 dash 0 1 1. This is an act amending legislative act number 34 dash 24 authorizing the comprehensive operating budget for fiscal year 2025 dash mod 5 and declaring an emergency, and I put that in the form of a motion." After a motion and a second, the council chair called for the question; members responded "Aye." The chair then said, "Motion passes."

The council did not record a roll-call tally in the transcript for the vote, and no opposition or abstentions were spoken on the record during that item. The motion language as read to the council indicates the amendment modifies the fiscal year 2025 comprehensive operating budget; the transcript does not specify line-item changes, dollar amounts, or which programs the amendment affects. The measure includes an emergency clause as part of its title on the floor.

The vote concluded the council's new-business agenda; the meeting adjourned after routine announcements and scheduling the next meeting. No additional directions to staff, budget allocations, or implementation dates were included in the recorded motion or during the immediate discussion.