All but one director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board voted in favour of a cost-of-living increase of 1.7 per cent Thursday.

Area P director John Sternig voted against the pay hike, saying he opposed a 40-per-cent jump last year and so couldn't in good faith support an increase this year.

"Governments are always asking for more," he said, noting that for a lot of workers, their wages are staying the same.

The increase is applied to the base rate of the 22 elected TNRD members.

Rural directors get extra pay to compensate for the fact they have to take time to travel — Kamloops directors do not get that, because they live where the TNRD meetings are held.

The increase puts the base pay up by $140 a year, to $12,008 from $11,868.

Separately, rural directors get mileage for their vehicle costs. That rose from 52 cents per kilometre last year to 53 cents.

When asked what he will do with the increase, Sternig said he would accept it, despite his opposition.

"If I don't take it, then I'm a lesser director than the others," he said.

The increase puts the indemnity scale for 2012 at the following:

* Area A (Wells Gray Country), $21,513

* Area B (Thompson Headwaters), $22,913

* Area E (Bonaparte Plateau), $21,513

* Area I (Blue Sky Country), $20,673

* Area J (Copper Desert Country), $19,273

* Area L, $19,553

* Area M (Randy Murray), $20,953

* Area N, $20,393

* Area O (Lower North Thompson), $20,113

* Area P (Rivers and The Peaks), $19,553.

They also get $140 a day to attend conventions or workshops with board approval.

Municipal directors now receive:

* Ashcroft, $13,828

* Barriere, $13,048

* Cache Creek, $13,308

* Chase, $12,778

* Clearwater, $14,088

* Clinton, $14,088

* Kamloops, $12,008

* Logan Lake, $13,048

* Merritt (Mayor Susan Roline), $13,828

* Sun Peaks, $13,048