Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is hosting a Property Tax and Innovation Summit on May 24-25, 2022 in Chicago. Representatives from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay will be on hand for the event.
The premiere event is being conducted for the Organization of American States, the world’s oldest regional network, which dates back to 1889.
The immersive two-day event will dive into the mechanics of the second-largest property tax system in the United States. The Cook County Treasurer’s Office collects $16.1 billion in taxes every year and distributes the funds to 2,200 local government units. Cook County has an overall tax collection rate of approximately 97 percent.
In addition to tax collection, the visitors will learn about:
- Property valuation
- Tax levying
- Transparency
Last year, Pappas was in the Dominican Republic to present her report: “On the Frontier of the Property Tax System.” Afterwards, many attendees expressed interest in seeing her advanced financial system for themselves.
“Countries throughout the world want to learn about our efficiency and the cutting-edge automation we have implemented here in Cook County,” said Pappas who has reduced her operating budget for 21 consecutive years. “We are one of the most technologically advanced and financially sophisticated offices anywhere. I am always willing to share our expertise with other countries.”
Also contributing to the program are Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, Robert Ross, a KPMG analytics expert, Illinois Appellate Court Justice Jesse Reyes and Clerk of the Circuit Court Iris Martinez.