BONNERS FERRY — For the second time in two weeks, a local governmental entity will move forward with a new website.  

This time, it was Boundary County commissioners who approved a partnership with Well Dressed Walrus, a Spokane-based website design company, during a recent meeting. On Jan. 6, the Bonners Ferry City Council approved a separate deal with CivicPlus. 

The partnership comes after Boundary County’s previous website manager advised it would stop managing the county’s website at the start of 2026. 

Well Dressed Walrus was chosen to manage the county’s current website while also developing a new one. No timeline has been finalized, though commissioners said it would likely be at least a few months before the new site is ready. 

County commissioner Lester Pinkerton said the change was necessary. 

“The previous providers were no longer maintaining the current web site so we had to make a move,” Pinkerton said. “It’s important to have the web site operational to provide content and information flow to general users on many aspects of county business.  WDW was the low bid which provided content support for the present site while building the new one.”  

During the roughly 10-minute discussion, IT Director Matt Hodges presented three options to commissioners. One proposal was quickly ruled out due to its higher cost. Another option, Revize, is based in Michigan. 

While Revize offered a lower initial cost of $12,400, its annual fee of $2,400 would have been $800 more per year than Well Dressed Walrus, commissioners said. 

Founded in 2011, Well Dressed Walrus is a marketing agency that says it aims to “create clear messaging, effective websites and marketing strategies that help small businesses grow.” 

The company chose its name because “we wanted something fun and unique that would be an easy domain (.com) to get our hands on. We ran out of ideas for more traditional names, so we decided to start pairing adjectives with animal names.”

Commissioners said the new website will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to ensure their services, programs and activities are accessible to people with disabilities.