ATHOL - Petitions have been filed to recall two Timberlake Fire commissioners, the latest moves to rock the district that serves Athol and Bayview.

The petitions seek to oust David "Rudy" Rudebaugh of Zone 4, which includes Athol, northwest of the city and the Parks/U.S. 95 area, and Marty Fish of Zone 2 northeast of Athol and the Good Hope area. Both of their terms run through November 2013.

The petitions, spearheaded by Susan Damon of Bayview, allege the commissioners violated open meeting laws to arrange for Northern Lakes Fire to manage the district and immediately improperly fired former Chief Jack Krill.

They also allege irresponsible use of taxpayer money for excessive, unnecessary legal advice, consulting fees and unnecessary special meetings and that employing Krill was cheaper than the Northern Lakes deal.

All of the residents who signed the petitions are from the Bayview area.

Rudebaugh and Fish said they were trying to be fiscally responsible last month when they, along with commissioner Kirk Quillin, voted to not renew Krill's contract and tap Northern Lakes, which serves Hayden and Rathdrum, for management services.

"What (the petitioners) are portraying is not the truth," Rudebaugh said. "People really need to ask themselves what is going on and to get educated."

Rudebaugh encourages residents to take their case to the county prosecutor if they believe the information they have is legitimate.

Rudebaugh said personnel and liability issues prompted several special meetings, but that isn't the commissioners' fault.

"Many issues which were not created by the board during the first six months of this year have required legal advice," he said.

Damon, who could not be reached for comment, criticized the board for supporting the $80,000 Northern Lakes contract when that's more than what Krill was paid. But Rudebaugh said that when all oversight costs are considered, including benefits, pay for a training officer, technical advisor and administrative assistant, the former way of doing business is about $86,000 more expensive than the flat rate for the Northern Lakes deal.

"This ($86,000) is to be allocated to equipment and facility needs which will provide greater safety not only for the district members but also the district's citizens it serves," Rudebaugh said.

Fish said he's not worried about the petition. He said he believes he's doing what he was voted in for - to look out for taxpayers in the district as a whole.

"Most of what the chief recommended (on equipment and facility repairs) was right," Fish said. "The rub was how do we get there? If we had more money, he'd still probably be there."

Fish said Krill was given a two-month severance package because he did good things at the district.

Fish said he hopes residents will move past the turmoil and focus on how to improve the cash-strapped district, even if it means floating a levy to let taxpayers decide if they support giving additional funds.

"I'm just doing what my constituents told me to do - to look out for the better of everyone," he said.

Krill's decision last spring to sideline most of the district's fleet so it could be brought up to national safety standards raised some eyebrows.

It meant taking 17 vehicles out of service and temporarily not having a vehicle available at five of the district's six stations. It left just one engine, two ambulances owned by Kootenai County and the fire boat in service.

Some supported the move because they believe the changes are much needed, while others had concerns over costs and questioned the urgency.

The county has verified the signatures of 20 district voters on the petitions, the first step in the recall process. The group now has 75 days to come up with 354 signatures, 50 percent of the total voters in the last election.

If the signatures are gathered and verified, the commissioners have five days to resign if they choose to do so. If they decline, an election will be set, most likely in November. In the election, the number of votes in favor of the recall must be at least the same as the number of voters who supported the commissioner in the last election for the proposal to pass.

Timberlake and Northern Lakes would not merge under a management agreement. Each district would still have its own board and remain independent taxing entities with their own tax levies.

After Krill's contract was not renewed, Commissioner Chris Wiese, who served Zone 5 west of Athol, resigned while Mitchell Copstead, who worked part time as a technical advisor, quit.

Rudebaugh said four people so far are interested in succeeding Wiese through November 2012. The deadline to submit a letter of interest is today. Commissioners will appoint a commissioner on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Bayview Community Center.

A recall petition last spring to unseat Commissioner Jon Guinn fizzled after talks about the Northern Lakes deal started.