The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission (the “Commission”) recently ruled that a town board violated the Freedom of Information Act when the executive director of the board polled four board members by telephone to determine whether they would support the hiring of a new architect for a certain project. The telephone poll was unnoticed, and the board included in its regular meeting agenda an item stating “New Business . . . Formalization of telephone poll…” The Commission concluded that the telephone discussion constituted a “meeting” within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act, and that the meeting therefore was required to be open to the public. The Commission also determined that the board improperly failed to issue a notice of the telephone meeting and to have votes available for public inspection within 48 hours of the meeting. The Commission did not impose a penalty, but it did direct the board to comply with the Freedom of Information Act in the future.