A company building a new solar farm in Lauderdale County has offered to pay $300,000 to help with repairs to a damaged road.

Nashville-based Silicon Ranch began construction of a 75-megawatt project off Knox Road in February.

The solar farm will provide energy to Mississippi Power and is expected to be ready by the end of the year, according to Matt Kisber, chairman of the board for Silicon Ranch.

Since construction started, county leaders have shared concerns about the deteriorating condition of Knox Road, which prompted a change in some school bus routes.

Rush Mayatt, the county’s road manager, said earlier this year that the additional traffic had torn up the road and become a possible safety hazard.

“Once they started taking heavy trucks continuously down that road, it started to deteriorate quite rapidly, said District 1 Supervisor Jonathan Wells, following a work session on Thursday. “We’ve been working with the residents and trying to keep the road in a passable state for the residents out there.”

The $300,000 offered by Silicon Ranch would pay for materials, but the county would do the road work once the project is complete, leaders said.

“Hopefully it demonstrates our long-term commitment to being a good corporate citizen,” Kisber said.

Wells said he appreciated the offer.

“This is a good faith effort on their part,” he said.

The board also discussed a possible tax incentive for Silicon Ranch, in which the company would pay a fee in lieu of taxes, according to Lee Thaggard, the board attorney. The fee would be no less than one-third of the ad valorem tax levy, he said.

Before the work session, the board passed an amended resolution to set an additional public hearing on the county budget, Thaggard said.

Following the Sept. 24 hearing, the board will vote on the budget and tax rate, he said.

The board originally held a public hearing on Sept. 9, but it was advertised incorrectly, due to an error by The Meridian Star.