A pitch for a "parking ambassador" program wasn't enough to sway Windsor City Council to bring parking enforcement back 'in house'.
In a 10-1 vote Monday night, council has decided to award Commissionaires Ottawa with a five-year contract extension at a cost of $682,000.
Ward 9 Kieran McKenzie was the only 'no vote.'
CUPE Local 543 president Jason Parent is calling it a 'missed opportunity' as the parking ambassadors would have provided an extra set of eyes while acting as tour guides in the downtown core.
Parent says he'll be keeping a close eye on the service provided by the Commissionaires
"Are there any actual personal complaints in regards to how the service is because 311 records that," he says.
He says while the union has lost temporarily, he's hopeful that won't be the case for long.
"This was a contract depending if something happened, they always have an out, they are not tied to this for the full five-years, so we look forward to holding the feet to the fire persay."
CUPE didn't enter a bid for the five year contract, but did provide an estimate of roughly $1-million to provide the service.
Windsor contracted out parking enforcement in 2010 resulting in a savings of $600,000.