Unsurprisingly, most of the fines were issued by Wollongong City Council rangers, who handed out 16,039 fines and added nearly $2.5 million to the council coffers, according to figures from the NSW Office of State Revenue.

In the first three months of this financial year, Wollongong rangers issued 4797 fines and cost drivers $761,000.

In contrast, Shellharbour rangers issued just 337 fines in 2013-14, while Kiama council fined 286 drivers.

A Wollongong council spokesman said the organisation needed to enforce parking - with a focus on the CBD, major events, the university, disabled parking spaces and school zones - as it needed to "facilitate turnover of parking spaces and increase community safety".

Despite the high parking revenue in Wollongong, it seems rangers have gone easy on wayward drivers over the past five years.

The number of fines issued in the LGA has steadily declined, dropping 22 per cent since 2010. However, it's clear the individual cost of fines has risen sharply, as the annual revenue collected by Wollongong council has remained steady at about $2.5 million.

The council spokesman said the city's controversial parking meters contributed to the reduction in fines by funding an extra 363 off-street spaces.

Councils are not the only organisations to issue fines in the Illawarra, with drivers at the University of Wollongong and Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health district also pinged more than 2500 times in the past financial year.

The health district handed out 889 fines worth nearly $90,000.

In contrast, only 10 fines were issued in 2011/12.

A health spokeswoman said the spike was due to the Wollongong Hospital upgrade construction work.

"Parking restrictions and ... a dedicated traffic control officer were introduced to maintain a smooth flow of traffic, minimise disruption and ensure our patients have unhindered access to drop-off and pick-up areas," the spokeswoman said.

Recalcitrant university students and visitors were fined 1684 times last year, paying $170,000.

Total: $2,888,667