Tulsa Housing Authority President and CEO Aaron Darden declined to answer questions from reporters Thursday about the authority’s audit backlog, which threatened to delay an affordable housing project in north Tulsa last month.
THA provides housing assistance for more than 13,000 Tulsans through federally funded Department of Housing and Urban Development programs, according to its website. But THA has been grappling with a multi-year audit backlog, as reported by NonDoc Media. The authority’s latest audit — for 2020 — was released in late 2024. It revealed a repeat finding for “not providing accurate data to HUD to ensure the proper accounting of tenant information.”
THA is mandated by state and federal law to complete annual audits, but years 2021-2024 are overdue. Issues with the audit backlog came up at a Nov. 19 Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency meeting, nearly causing delays to 36N — a 545-unit, mixed-income project planned for 3525 N. Peoria Ave. OHFA administers and distributes federal HUD funds to state-specific affordable housing programs, such as the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
According to NonDoc, agency officials expressed major concerns about distributing funds for future projects because of the backlog, but Darden said THA was making progress. He said the 2021 audit was complete but had not been finalized or approved by THA’s governing board.
These issues linger as Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols rounds out his first year in office in which he promised to increase access to affordable housing and “achieve functional zero homelessness” by 2030.
But Nichols could step in as a result of the backlog, according to a 1988 Oklahoma attorney general’s opinion, which authorizes city leaders to remove housing authority board members for “neglect of duty.”
The opinion states, in part: “The statutes governing municipal Housing Authorities provide that commissioners of the Authority may be removed by the governing body for neglect of duty. The commissioners may also be subject to ouster proceedings or criminal penalties.”
THA chairman nears end of his term, others could follow suit
The agenda for THA’s monthly meeting Thursday included a “budget audit committee update” and “CEO update,” but the backlog never came up during the 20-minute meeting.
Instead, the board approved the 2026 operating budget for low-rent public housing. Julie Ward, THA’s chief financial officer, said the budget includes $399,163 in revenues but $469,367 in expenses.
“The variance will be covered by the planned utilization of $70,000 in reserves,” Ward said.
Those funds will be used to convert Hewgley Terrace, a senior living community in downtown Tulsa, to the Section 8 program, she added.
During the CEO update, Darden highlighted THA Board Chairman Rick Neal’s 11 years of service to THA — nine of which he served as chairman and oversaw Darden’s hire. Neal’s appointment expires at the end of December, Darden said, but he is willing to continue his service until he is officially replaced by Nichols.
“I will be maybe too candid and say that I have come to believe that there needs to be — not really frequent turnover — but there needs to be turnover on the commission because you can get stale,” Neal said. “You can get stuck in your past and the organization may not go and make the changes it needs to make to deal with particular circumstances.”
THA board members Debra Morrow Ingram, Sheila Brown and Lisa Albers are also set to term out of their positions Jan. 20, 2026.
The Flyer and other media attempted to speak with Darden after the meeting about the audit backlog, but Ginny Hensley, vice president of communications and public affairs at THA, said Darden declined to answer questions.
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