Conducted in the wake of the February-March 2008 corruption hearings, the survey found only 21.8 per cent of residents were highly satisfied with the council's performance, compared to the NSW average of 50.2 per cent.

On the flip side, 44 per cent of residents expressed "low satisfaction" with the council, a score well above the 14.7 per cent state average.

The result was described as "considerably lower when compared to similar sized and resourced councils surveyed by the Illawarra Regional Information Service throughout NSW" in the report.

Of the council's 32 services studied, the 504 residents who took part rated parking among the worst, with 57 per cent of residents giving the council a "low satisfaction" level.

But residents saved their greatest disdain for the council's development application assessment process, given a 2.21 score out of five.

To some within the council the result came as no surprise. The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) focused on the council's development assessment systems after former planner Beth Morgan admitted to having an affair with developer Frank Vellar.

She was later found to have acted corruptly by ICAC after she engineered the passage of his development proposals.

Other councils who have been at the centre of corruption hearings, including Western Australia's Busselton Shire Council, have also struggled to rebuild their credibility years after the event.

Since ICAC held its public hearings, Wollongong council has taken a number of steps to prevent corruption, attracting praise from ICAC. The satisfaction study also revealed dissatisfaction with the number of public toilets and little faith in the council's corporate governance systems.

Satisfaction levels had dropped in nearly all of the council's service areas, with only garbage collection experiencing an increased rating from a 2005 score of 4 to a 2008 score of 4.1.

The survey also revealed that residents living between Fairy Meadow and Helensburgh were more likely to be dissatisfied.

The report did have a silver lining. About 74 per cent of respondents rated Wollongong's green waste service highly, while another 74 per cent gave recycling services the top score. The council is using the information to target areas to improve performance for future management plans.