Some Colorado Springs City Council members are miffed that they are being asked to approve a new director of public works but the resolution in the public notice does not have his name or how much he will be paid.

 The City Council’s official meeting agenda, which was posted Aug.21, said the City Council will be asked to confirm Mayor Steve Bach’s appointee for director of public works at its meeting Tuesday. But where the person’s name would be is simply a blank.

The Gazette confirmed on Friday that Bach was naming the former mayor of Monument, Travis Easton, for the position. But Easton’s name is not in the public notice. The public was not supposed to find out until Tuesday, after the City Council voted on the appointment.

City spokeswoman Cindy Aubrey said Friday via email to The Gazette, “The name of the new Public Works Director will be announced on Tuesday following Council confirmation.”

Council members Joel Miller, Helen Collins and Keith King cried foul in their opening comments at today’s work session meeting. The point of a public confirmation, they said, is to let the public know in advance who was being considered for the post. Collins added that the public also has a right to know how much the director’s salary would be.

 Miller said the way the public notice was published saying that council would be asked to vote on the public works director might by legal.  

“But, to me it does not seem like it’s complete,” he said.  “At some point the confidentially has to give way to public needs to know.”

Council president King said he believed the council could not vote on a confirmation if the name wasn’t public.

 “We can’t confirm someone on total confidentially,” he said. “There is no past precedent for this.”

 The city public works director is among the positions appointed by the mayor and who answer directly to the mayor, according to the city’s charter.

If confirmed, Easton, a civil engineer and senior vice president of NV5, would run the city’s public works department, which includes the city’s engineering, streets, traffic and transit divisions. The divisions have a combined budget of about $110 million and 209 employees.

Easton, if appointed would replace interim director Dave Lethbridge, whose appointment touched off major concerns among council members about his qualifications, the length of an interim appointment and the process that the mayor follows for such appointments. Lethbridge was appointed to the position of director in June 2013.