Following the controversy over the exorbitant salaries paid to Bell city officials, Controller Wendy Greuel said Monday she is working to post Los Angeles city employee salaries on the Internet.

In a letter to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council, Greuel said she is using her authority as Controller to work with the Information Technology Agency to create an online searchable web page to post the salaries.

"As the City Controller, I am responsible for the city's payroll," Greuel said. "During these tough economic times, I take my responsibility as the city's chief financial watchdog very seriously."

Greuel said the public interest in the Bell salary scandal was prompting her to take steps to insure openness in the city's salary system.

"At the end of the day, we all work for the citizens of Los Angeles and it is their right to know how their tax dollars are being spent," Greuel said.

The salaries of city council members and county board supervisors are tied to the pay of Superior Court judges through a voter-approved measure.

The authorized pay for City Council members is $178,789 a year, but different council members have taken pay cuts in solidarity with other city workers, who have had their pay reduced.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's authorized pay is $231,535, but he has taken a 16 percent cut for the past two years.

Greuel's salary is set at $195,914, but she has taken a 7 percent pay cut from that.