Windsor officials have voted in favour of issuing requests for a proposal to private companies interested in taking over the city's $1.3-million parking enforcement division. (CBC)

City council in Windsor, Ont., took a step toward outsourcing its $1.3-million parking enforcement service, voting on Monday night to issue a request for proposal to private companies interested in running it.

The 14-employee division has been plagued by chronic absenteeism in recent years, despite a salary boost of 27 per cent between 2005 and 2008 and other measures meant to "cultivate a more positive work environment," according to a report by the city's licence commissioner, Diane Bertolin.

Employees took a total of 508.61 days of "unplanned leave" in 2008, an average of 36 days each, costing the city $77,206.

Those numbers make outsourcing "long overdue," according to Coun. Dave Brister, who made the motion to issue the request for proposal.

"People will recognize that not only have the times changed, but the municipality is beginning to change with them," Brister said at a regular council meeting Monday night.

"As it relates to chronic sick time, I certainly hate to put the whole class in detention for a few bad apples," said Coun. Drew Dilkins, who voted in favour of outsourcing.

"It's hard for us to sit around and act as directors of this corporation, responsible for the best interests of this corporation, responsible for the taxpayers, to ignore that we have some problems in this department," Dilkins said.

Union reaction

But Jean Fox, the president of Canadian Union Public Employees Local 543, which represents the parking enforcement workers, called outsourcing "a slippery slope.

"And boy are we ever skiing down this thing fast," Fox said.

Fox couldn't say whether CUPE would submit its own proposal for taking over the parking division.

Any officer who loses his or her job because of outsourcing would be entitled to bumping rights, forcing the city to find them alternate employment, according to Bertolin's report.