NEW ULM - Tough economic times have meant more eligible DWI offenders have asked for financial assistance to pay for their home monitoring.

The Brown County Probation Department is asking for approval of a grant that will help certain DWI offenders with electronic home monitoring costs.

Based on income, offenders can get reduced daily rates for their costs. County documents said Brown County has received many request for grant funds.

The Minnesota Department of Corrections has agreed to give Brown County an additional $5,000 this year out of unspent funds.

The county board will consider the request at its regular meeting on Tuesday morning in the Brown County commissioners room in the Brown County courthouse.

Also on the county board agenda:

The state and county budget situations are forcing one area group to ask for an extension of the agreement that binds its members together.

Commissioner Andrew Lochner is asking county commissioners to extend the joint powers agreement for Area II Minnesota River Basin Projects because fiscal concerns at the state and county levels have caused the group difficulty with making plans for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.

According to a letter to the county board from the group's coordinator, the difficulty in addressing the state and county budget situation has made decisions tough for Area II members since it cannot gauge the impact of those state decisions upon itself.

The group also believes the state may not resolve the impasse by June 30, when Area II's joint powers agreement expires.

Lochner is asking the board to extend the joint powers agreement to September.

The Park Department is asking for permission to accept donations from the Fides Lodge of Sanborn and the Minnesota Waterfowl Association of Springfield that will be used to help develop a handicapped-accessible fishing pier at Mound Creek County Park. The department is also asking the board to accept a quote from the man who built a similar fishing pier in Clear Lake, which is in Lost Dog and Fox Hunters Park.

The Fides Lodge, a community development association in Sanborn, is donating $2,000. The Waterfowl Association is donating $1,000. The county has received a total of $7,000 for the project.

Dan's Welding of Courtland bid $5,813 for the project. The DNR quoted the county $7,500.

The University of Minnesota Extension Service is asking the county board to approve a change to the Memorandum of Agreement that provides Extension programs locally.

The proposed change would shorten the notification period to three months if either side of the agreement decides it wants to change Extension programming in Brown County.