Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas will discuss how advancements in the Treasurer’s Office have increased transparency and efficiency while promoting social equity during a conference next week in the Dominican Republic. The Inter-American Conference on Cadastre and Property Registry will bring together experts in the public and private sectors to discuss land registry systems and challenges governments face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change. #ConfCat21 is taking place this week in in Santa Domingo. It is organized by the Dominican Property Registry National Administration, the National School of the Judiciary of the Dominican Republic, the Organization of American States and the World Bank.

Pappas’ presentation, “On the Frontier of the Property Tax System,” details changes made in the past two decades in her office that have improved efficiency, convenience and transparency while reducing costs to taxpayers. The advancements have enabled the office to undertake studies on the property tax system and better assist property owners. Since the start of Pappas’ Black and Latino Houses Matter program in the early days of the pandemic, the Treasurer’s Office has returned more than $120 million in refunds to communities with majority Black and Latino populations. “I welcome the invitation to speak and look forwarding to exchanging information about processes that benefit property owners, in addition to discussing the critical issues local governments face today,” Pappas said. Pappas’ invitation is the most recent one extended by officials in other countries who are interested in learning about the progress made at the Cook County Treasurer’s Office.