In the survey, 12 of 22 areas the council asked about recorded a drop in resident satisfaction.
Among those, resident satisfaction with the mayor and councillors dropped to 57%, from 65% last year.
"There are obviously many things we need to do better," Mr Kircher said.
"The [survey] doesn’t actually tell us what we need to do better."
He said for roughly $30,000 the council was not receiving value for money.
It received a good "quantity of information", but not good quality information.
He called instead for a "new method" in the future that would bring people together and discuss their concerns.
"We can do it smarter."
His suggestion was rebuffed by several councillors at the council’s customer services committee meeting yesterday.
Cr Hugh Perkins said he believed resident satisfaction might have dropped simply due to a "fairly low key" election campaign last year.
"There might be a tendency to shoot the messenger," Cr Perkins said.
The value in the survey came from comparing results and identifying trends.
The council scored the highest marks for its reputation in Oamaru, and among those over 60 years old, the survey shows.
Despite recording rising dissatisfaction with the district’s unsealed roads, resident satisfaction with the unsealed roading network also went up.
The council’s improvements included resident satisfaction with: library services, public toilets, and community board performance. The council recorded the biggest drops in resident satisfaction in: archive services, the performance of elected officials, camping grounds, parks and reserves, waste services, and cemeteries.
