Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information
Emergency Meeting Minutes, Sept. 3, 2024
The meeting was via Zoom.
Present: Mike Savino, Michele Jacklin, Tom Scheffey, Jacqueline Smith, Mary Connolly, Jeff Daniels, Karen Florin, Mitch Pearlman, Jodie Gil, Chris Powell, David DesRoches.
CCFOI corporate status: Pearlman said he was doing some research on CCFOI’s incorporation status as we prepare to put a PayPal link on our website for donations and payments. He learned the Connecticut Secretary of the State’s office dissolved our corporation on May 8, 2023 because we didn’t file a required report and pay a $50 fee. No one on the board received a notice from the Secretary of the State but Pearlman said this is probably due to changes in officers and there was no current address on file. He said the state gives a corporation 120 days to undo what has happened and that time has passed.
There was discussion of how to quickly correct this situation and also address some issues about our IRS status. We don’t owe any taxes. Pearlman also said we should consider liability insurance to cover board members, something we have not had in the past. We also should designate an agent to be the contact for the corporation so we don’t run into this situation again as we change officers over time.
Action: A motion was made and unanimously adopted to immediately address this problem: Pearlman and Daniels will research the legal steps that must be taken to reincorporate our organization, officially known as the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, Inc.; then, having been properly advised, CCFOI will immediately proceed to reincorporate our organization; three incorporators were chosen (Pearlman, Savino and Jacklin).
Looking ahead: Our next meeting has not been set. Our regular monthly meeting may still be a Zoom meeting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 18, the third Wednesday of the month. But there also is discussion of an in-person meeting on Sept. 18. Savino will send out a Doodle Poll to help decide the best option.