Nogales housing board names Terry Ibarra interim executive director

The Nogales Housing Authority Board of Commissioners voted July 7 to appoint Terry Ibarra as interim executive director while the authority conducts a recruitment for a permanent executive director, and authorized compensation for the interim at the director salary level.

Maritza Cervantes, the authority's interim executive director, told commissioners she could not commit full time to the role because she will start a new position on July 30, but said she was willing to “help and provide support on a part time basis or maybe even on a, as needed basis” if the authority requested it.

The action came after commissioners and staff discussed safeguards for HUD compliance, the need to segregate finance duties, and options for short-term consulting. Commissioners said the city manager and the authority's legal counsel would be available to support the interim director and to arrange any consulting agreement.

Why it matters: The housing authority is undergoing an audit and has recently returned to a high level of regulatory compliance. Commissioners said maintaining continuity and clear segregation of duties — particularly between housing operations and finance — is essential while the authority moves to a permanent hire.

Board discussion and context

Commissioners spent the meeting's discussion portion considering whether Cervantes would continue as interim, whether the finance manager could serve as interim, and how to ensure HUD-required segregation of duties. Cervantes clearly stated limits on her availability: “I cannot commit full time to an interim position. I do have 2 weeks before I start my new position. However, within those 2 weeks, I do have a funeral I have to attend in LA, and then I have to prepare for my new position.”

Cervantes told the board she could provide support on an as-needed basis, and flagged segregation of duties between executive and finance roles as her biggest concern: “My biggest concern at this point would be segregation of duties when it comes to HUD and finance.” Commissioners discussed prior practice in which the city manager or other authorized signatories assisted with contract signing and grant administration when the authority had interim leaders.

Several commissioners said they were comfortable naming the finance manager, Terry Ibarra, as interim if she accepted and had the support of the city manager's office and the authority's legal counsel. Commissioners also discussed creating a short, paid consulting arrangement to allow Cervantes to be available on call for limited issues during the transition.

Procedural and staffing details

Commissioners said the vacant executive director position will be posted internally for five days before opening to external applicants. The board directed the city manager and legal counsel to coordinate any consultant contract or on-call agreement; those arrangements were discussed as a separate administrative matter rather than part of the motion to appoint the interim.

Motion and outcome

Commissioner Perra moved to appoint Terry Ibarra as interim executive director until a full‑time executive director is hired; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board discussed that the interim's salary would be adjusted to the current director level during the interim period and that any consulting agreement with Cervantes would be handled separately by the city manager and counsel.

What happens next

The authority will proceed with the short internal posting for the executive director role and begin recruitment after that period. The city manager and the authority's attorney will handle any on‑call consulting arrangement and confirm operational support for Ibarra while the audit and the recruitment proceed.