Orkney Islands Council has written to the chief constable to protest against the planned removal of traffic warden services.
The force wants to get rid of the patrollers after a review carried out earlier this year.
The move, which will save thousands of pounds, means that the responsibility for traffic enforcement will be transferred to local authorities.
Now Orkney Council has called for the police to reconsider.
Councillor Andrew Drever, who is chairman of both the local road safety forum and the council’s police and fire sub-committee, said they had written to Chief Constable Stephen House to “convey deep misgivings” about the decision and how it was reached.
He said: “Traffic wardens in small communities like ours play a wider role than simply assisting with traffic congestion and parking enforcement.
“In Orkney traffic wardens assist the police in a number of ways, including attendance at road traffic collisions and acting as a link between the police and local people.
“They also have the authority to ‘direct’ traffic in instances such as ferry traffic arrivals and at our annual shows and festivals – they are truly part of our communities. Viewed as a cost-saving measure, we doubt Police Scotland would experience any genuine savings from the discontinuation of this service.
“Police Scotland’s intention is that provision of a traffic warden service should fall to the council – we are clear that parking enforcement remains with the police in Orkney.
“Orkney Islands Council is working under reduced budgets and, as Scotland’s smallest local authority, we will not have the same opportunities to recoup warden costs from parking fines in the way that bigger councils could. A council-employed traffic warden would also have much reduced authority in terms of some of the roles they currently carry out.
“We have no intention of taking on the statutory responsibility of others where this would detract from the delivery of our own statutory services.”
Meanwhile, Highland Council is continuing its discussions with the police about the withdrawal.
The authority has already won a concession from the police. The removal of the wardens in the region has been postponed until February after the local authority complained it did not have enough time to draw up a replacement service. Council leader Drew Hendry said he was assured police would respond to parking offences after the traffic wardens were removed on February 3.