The Valley Medical Center Board of Commissioners meetings jumped into the video age Monday, July 26.

For the first time the board meeting featured a two camera video-audio recording system. The plan is the recording will be posted to the Valley website by the end of business the Wednesday following the Monday meeting.

The system will be evaluated after about six months by the commissioners.

According to a staff document presented to the board in May the cost was not to exceed $24,000.

The recording system was approved by the board unanimously at the April 19 meeting. The issue had been a point of controversy for several months prior to the approval. Commissioners Anthony Hemstad and Dr. Aaron Heide advocated for a taping system and Sue Bowman, chair, along with commissioners Don Jacobson and Carolyn Parnell sided against the it.

The issue was finally resolved when Jacobson made a motion directing the staff to bring back a report to the board on the cost and process of setting up a recording system. The motion passed unanimously.

The staff presented the two camera video-audio recording system to the board in May, and the commissioners approved the system.

Recordings of the meetings will be posted to the Valley website.