SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The bill for a lawsuit over raises for county officials continues to grow.

As of July 28, Onondaga County had paid $154,340.82 to outside lawyers to defend a lawsuit from another elected official.

In January, County Comptroller Bob Antonacci sued 19 county officials over the raises approved last year. The county has hired five outside legal firms to defend members of the legislature, the county executive and the personnel director in a lawsuit from the county comptroller.

Robert Smith, a defense attorney on the case, blamed Antonacci for the expense of the lawsuit.

“It is difficult to understand how a party sues two lawsuits, multiple parties, multiple kinds of complaints, then complains that attorneys’ fees are unnecessarily expended,” Smith said. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t start either one of these lawsuits.”

Typically, the county attorney handles lawsuits filed against the county. County Attorney Robert Durr, however, recused himself from this case citing a conflict of interest, since he represents both Antonacci and the people he is suing. Antonacci had said he would waive any conflict.

“I can’t control what they do,” Antonacci said in regard to the county executive’s office. “Of course I care about the money and the taxpayers. That’s why I’m handling the case myself.”

The total billings for the law firms are likely higher than the amount paid so far. Attorney Robert Julian, for example, has billed the county for at least $7,800 but has not received any payment yet.

As of May 31, the five law firms had billed for $123,000.

Scott Chatfield — an attorney representing a pair of legislators who side with Antonacci — estimated the cost today at “north of a quarter-million dollars.”

The amount paid to lawyers dwarfs the cumulative total of the pay raises. If Antonacci wins, legislators and the county executive may have to pay back the amount they’ve made so far as a result of those raises.

“That would be a separate action and analysis,” Antonacci said. “If the judge rules in our favor, we are absolutely going to push for the money to be repaid.”

As of tomorrow’s pay date, the amount paid to legislators and the executive in raises is just more than $59,000.

On Thursday, a judge ruled that the lawsuit would be allowed to move forward, despite attorneys’ efforts to quash it.