General Council Membership
The General Council, which consists of all Tribal members aged 18 and older, elects the governing body of the CTUIR -- the Board of Trustees. The General Council also elects it's own officers whose primary responsibilities include running the monthly General Council meetings and moving forward General Council issues.
The General Council meets monthly to hear updates from its Chairman, the Board of Trustees, and various working groups. This is also an opportunity for General Council members to provide input and recommendations to the tribal officials. Special General Council meetings are occasionally held to discuss specific issues. General Council meetings are generally closed to the public and the news media unless invited by the General Council officers.
General Council meetings are set the third Thursday of each month. If something happens such as a tribal member passing away or inclement weather, the meeting will be postponed to the next Thursday when possible.
Requesting a Special General Council Meeting
To request a Special General Council meeting, please use the Petition for Special General Council meeting to the left. Fill out the information on the petition clearly outlining the topic of the proposed meeting and requesting necessary staff to provide technical information related to the topic. When the petition is complete with a minimum of twenty (20) signatures, please submit to the General Council Office staff or General Council Secretary elect for processing. The GC Chairman will set a date allowing time for appropriate notification. It is the responsibility of the lead petitioner to provide such handouts and presentations as necessary to address the proposed topic.
Suggesting or requesting an agenda item
A general council member has the constitutional right to request information from the organization. In the CTUIR Constitution, this is called the right to "demand reports." It means the member can formally ask that a person or committee provide updates, data, or explanations about their work.
There are several ways a member can exercise this right:
- Ask for a report informally during a meeting.
The member can simply say something like, “Could we have a report on this at the next meeting?” This is usually enough unless the topic is sensitive or contested. - Make a formal motion requiring a report by a certain time.
If the matter needs official action or a guaranteed deadline, the member can move:
“I move that the Treasurer bring a report on X to the council by the March meeting.”
If the motion passes, the report becomes a required action. - Request a report immediately by amending the agenda.
When something is urgent and can reasonably be prepared on short notice, the member can move to change the agenda at the start of the meeting—for example:
“I move to amend the agenda to add a brief report from the Director on the current status of Y.”
If the council agrees, the report is added to the meeting’s business.