The Ventura City Council finalized a deal late Wednesday to hire a new city attorney, but an unresolved legal dispute and a hefty contract cost the applicant the support of one council member.

The council voted 6-1 at a special meeting to hire Ariel P. Calonne to replace Bob Boehm, who retired last month as city attorney.

Calonne, city attorney in Boulder, Colo., since 2003 and a former city attorney in Palo Alto, will come to Ventura in August.

He will be Ventura's highest-paid city employee, with benefits that boost his annual compensation to more than $200,000.

Councilman Jim Monahan, whose seven terms rank as the longest on the council, cast the lone dissenting vote Wednesday.

Monahan said Thursday that he respected Calonne, but the lucrative contract — along with some pending criminal charges against Calonne involving a neighbor dispute and what Monahan described as a "lack of remorse" — led to his decision.

"I didn't hear any remorse that he had felt he had done something wrong," said Monahan.

The council was scheduled to consider the contract Monday but delayed the matter to discuss the candidate again in a closed-door meeting before Wednesday's public vote.

"My concern is for the employees in the City Attorney's Office," Monahan said. "I want to be sure he comes in with a level head and respect for our current employees."

Calonne, 48, was ticketed last month by police in Boulder on suspicion of misdemeanor harassment and criminal mischief after a confrontation with a female neighbor when his leashed dog walked on her property.

The woman told police Calonne threatened her and kicked two sprinkler heads. Calonne has said he did nothing wrong and expects to be cleared of the charges.

The city attorney is hired by and serves at the will of the council. The only other position directly hired and fired by the council is City Manager Rick Cole.

Calonne's compensation package is the richest in city history, although comparable to those for city attorneys in Thousand Oaks and Oxnard.

Calonne will earn a base salary of $192,000 a year. The city also will contribute $12,000 annually to a retirement account, and he's eligible for a 7 percent bonus, or $13,440, if he achieves performance goals.

The city also will provide a $350 monthly car allowance, cover his moving expenses, and pay for up to five round-trip coach airfares between Denver and Los Angeles in his first six months, or until 10 days after he sells his Boulder house.

"He is going to cost the city a lot of money," Monahan said. "We are strapped for money to begin with, and this is going to cause a chain reaction to all city employees wanting more."

Councilman Bill Fulton, however, said luring and retaining the best candidates demands competitive compensation. "A good city attorney should save the city money," he said.

Calonne worked in Ventura as an assistant city attorney early in his legal career. He is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He was the top attorney in Palo Alto for 13 years before going to Boulder.

In 2003, Calonne was honored as "California Public Lawyer of the Year" by the State Bar of California.

"I'm extremely motivated to show the community that I was the right choice," Calonne said Thursday, adding that he respected Monahan's concerns. "By accepting a premium salary, it puts the onus on me to show what I am capable of doing."