House OKs bill to clarify veterans Big Island board

Statutorily clarifying the oversight of a board is the purpose of a bill that its sponsor termed a housekeeping measure.

Rep. Bob Dettmer

Sponsored by Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake), HF134 would update statute by removing a trustee from an irrevocable trust established from the proceeds of a sale of the Big Island Veterans Camp and repeal statute that references a now-defunct board. It has no fiscal impact.

Passed 130-0 Monday by the House, it now goes to the Senate, where Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) is the sponsor.

In 1923, Big Island became the Big Island Veterans Camp. The state took control of the island in 1980 after it fell into disrepair and after a few years statutorily put the island under an eight-member board of governors.

About a decade ago, the island was sold to the City of Orono for $5.8 million and preserved in its natural condition. State statute required that if the island were every sold, a board would need to be established and that the funds would be put into an irrevocable trust.

After recently looking at the bylaws and trust agreement, the current governing board wants to ensure continuity and that they have control over the board makeup to effectively govern the organization. The bill would permit removal of a trustee without cause by a majority vote of the trustees and with consent of the veterans affairs commissioner.

Sans the ability to remove a trustee without cause, supporters say they are limited in a way that most organizations are not.