The issue of whether or not to incorporate rural areas like Joe Rich, Ellison and the south Mission into the city of Kelowna, is now headed to City Council.

Mayor Sharon Shepherd, doesn't know what council will do with the question, or whether the city will commission a full survey to gauge the level of local interest in joining Kelowna.

But, Shepherd says she personally believes a detailed survey of those residents would be a logical first step.

A regional district committee has turned the issue back to Kelowna council, after hearing about petitions asking for city incorporation from some Joe Rich residents.

The annexation or incorporation possibility went to the regional board, because those three rural areas on the edges of Kelowna are in the Central Okanagan Regional District.