Monroe County is giving a biopharmaceutical company a tax break of nearly $10.4 million to expand its operations near Bloomington’s west side.
The county council on Tuesday approved a tax abatement for Simtra BioPharma Solutions, LLC — formerly Baxter Pharmaceutical Solutions — to add a two-story, approximately 150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility to its site at 927 S. Curry Pike.
The company says the estimated $225 million expansion will create roughly 130 new jobs, each with an average annual salary of $73,379, including benefits, according to documents shared with the council.
Simtra, which focuses on sterile injectables, says the new building will add three manufacturing lines. The company currently employs about 1,039 people at its Curry Pike facility and 1,600 globally. It has locations in Monroe County and Halle/Westfalen, Germany.
The 10-year abatement is on both real and personal property tax. Personal property refers to property not classified as real estate, including equipment. Real property refers to a parcel of land and everything permanently attached to it.
Simtra will get a 100 percent break from real and personal property taxes the first year, and 10 percent less with each subsequent year. The company must pay its taxes in full on year 11.
Documents show Simtra will save about $5.87 million in real property taxes and $4.5 million in personal property taxes.
Of the estimated $225 million investments, $145 million is for capital equipment (personal property) and $80 million is for site improvements (real property).
The company expects to complete the expansion by late September 2026.
Simtra was a subsidiary of Baxter International, Inc. until Oct 2023, when it became a fully independent stand-alone company. The company describes itself as “a provider of highly specialized biologic development and contract manufacturer.”
