AUSTIN — The Collin County Commissioners Court has voted to not pay the prosecutors pursuing criminal charges against Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The 5th Court of Appeals last week directed the commissioners to vote on the prosecutors' latest bill before it can rule on a lawsuit challenging the fees' legality. On Monday, the commissioners voted against paying the latest invoice, which tops $205,000 for a year's work.

"We're faced with a black-and-white choice: You either pay it, or you challenge it," said County Judge Keith Self, who sits on the five-member commissioners court. "But don't expect what we do today to stop the criminal trial."

Self was addressing the dozen people who attended the Monday meeting and asked the commissioners to reject the latest bill. Most called the criminal case against Paxton a "witch hunt" and pleaded with the commissioners to do something about it. One woman said she was praying for them; another man called the case "frivolous;" still another attendee likened the whole thing to something out of the Soviet Union before adding, "They had genocide."

The commissioners voted 4-0 (one member was absent) to not pay the prosecutors, who submitted their last invoice in January. They also asked the county's attorney to prepare for their own court challenge over the fees issue, something the commissioners last year said was an option.

The commissioners were spurred to action by a lawsuit from Jeffory Blackard, a political ally of Paxton's who sued the county earlier this year, claiming the prosecutors' $300-an-hour payments violate a local cap on attorneys' fees.

The case went to the 5th, based in Dallas, which told the commissioners last week they had to vote on the latest bill before it could rule in the Blackard case.

Blackard, a real estate developer and ally of other politicians like ex-U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, showed up at the commissioners court meeting Monday.

"This is the biggest political witching we've all been through and the taxpayers, the people you're responsible for, you need to take care of us," he told the commissioners. "I hope that you will stop paying these illegal bills."

Also in attendance was Hiram Sasser, a top litigator at the conservative nonprofit law firm the Liberty Institute whom Paxton briefly hired last year to serve as his chief of staff in the Office of the Attorney General. Sasser left after just more than one month, citing a "family medical emergency."

Collin County is on the hook to pay for the cost of prosecuting Paxton — who was indicted on three felony charges in 2015 — because his alleged crimes took place there. Over the past two years, the three special prosecutors have billed the county for more than a half-million dollars, as Paxton's lawyers delayed going to trial by months of appeals.

Collin County taxpayers are also paying costs associated with Blackard's suit. They top $106,000, bringing the grand total of Paxton-related costs to $617,159, according to the Collin County auditor.

The case has split the conservative county's Republican politicians between those who agree with Blackard and those who don't, or at least those who fail to defend the sitting attorney general.

Self has said he hopes the Paxton matter goes to trial soon, saying that's the best way to "stop the bleeding," and he said Monday he thought Blackard had an uphill battle in convincing the Dallas court his case had merits. Other commissioners were more sanguine.

Commissioner Susan Fletcher criticized the fees and how they're set. Commissioner Cheryl Williams said she can no longer assume bills sent to them by the county auditor are vetted to ensure they are legal and reasonable: "We can have no confidence in the auditor's certification."

Paxton is accused of violating state securities laws by defrauding investors in a North Texas technology startup called Servergy Inc. The prosecution also says he failed to register with the state as an investment adviser representative. The alleged crimes date to Paxton's time in the state House and carry a maximum penalty of 99 years in prison and tens of thousands in fines.

His criminal case is on hold as the 5th Court of Appeals, the same court that will decide the Blackard case, hears a separate pleading from Paxton to remove the judge presiding over his upcoming trials. If they are not delayed, the first of his two trials will kick off in mid-September.

Earlier this year, a federal judge threw out civil fraud charges lobbed against Paxton related to the Servergy claims. Paxton has pleaded not guilty to all the allegations and has pledged to stay in office while fighting them.