Taxpayers in Marin County are bristling over the county supervisors’ decision to keep the salaries of most of the county government’s employees secret, reporter Keri Brenner of the Marin Independent Journal reports today (Feb. 26). The newspaper has been trying to get salary data after a number of employees received a controversial pay raise. In today’s edition, Brenner reports that the IJ did an informal survey of residents and heard comments including: “The Marin supervisors are sticking their heads in the sand and not listening to their constituents,” “It is absolutely insane that some think the public, who pay the bills, have no right to know where their tax dollars go” and “They can keep their salaries paid with my tax dollars confidential if I can keep my income confidential from the Franchise Tax Board.” One resident lit into the newspaper, saying, “It’s part of the IJ’s job to make sure this story stays in the public eye. The IJ has for too long been more lap dog than watch dog.” [SIDEBAR: Peter Scheer of the California First Amendment Coalition says the county’s payroll should be public.]