During the public-comment period, Jeff Armstrong, fire chief for three surrounding districts, told the Bonner County Board of Commissioners that fire district capacity, equipment and staffing have left the area in what he described as a “crisis.” He said a third‑party needs assessment will be delivered around March and urged commissioners to engage when findings are presented in a workshop or town-hall setting.

"I was successful in asking them to postpone their visit because we weren't ready... Here we are in, almost January 2026, and we're still not ready," Armstrong said, pressing for county involvement in reviewing sign‑offs and district expectations. He proposed a memorandum of understanding or contract to clarify what the county expects from fire districts on timelines, sign‑offs and parameters for enforcement. "I'm willing to look at a contract between the fire districts and the county," he said.

Commissioners asked Armstrong to provide an example MOU; Armstrong agreed to seek a sample (citing Kootenai County as a possible model) and said he would bring a draft in January. Board members discussed holding a joint county meeting in February to review the levy question, the consultant’s findings and budget implications so the public can hear validated information prior to a levy vote. Commissioners also confirmed the planning commission has been asked to review Title 12 language related to fire sign‑offs and return recommendations for public hearings before any code amendments would be adopted.

Public commenters Wayne Martin and Dave Bowman echoed concerns about timber clearing, volunteer recruitment and the planning commission’s role; Bowman (a Northside volunteer firefighter and planning commissioner) invited further collaboration to refine volunteer strategies and planning tasks. The board recessed for an executive session on litigation and noted Title 12 and an MOU for fire sign‑offs will be scheduled for further discussion and planning commission review.

The board did not take final policy action on fire district levies at this meeting; it requested an example MOU from the chief, a workshop to review budgets and consultant findings, and a planning‑code review to clarify jurisdictional sign‑off requirements.