“The opportunity to make a difference in my hometown is what caught my eye.”
The Neighborhood Services Department is relatively new, since October 2023, and currently oversees Prescott Valley’s Code Compliance, Animal Services, Community Development Block Grants and other neighborhood concerns. Lira has served as the department’s deputy director since November 2024, before she was promoted to director in August.
Born in Oregon, Lira moved with her family to Lake Havasu City as an infant, where her father was a construction supply company manager. She moved to Prescott Valley as a high school freshman and graduated from Bradshaw Mountain High School. After obtaining a business management degree from Northern Arizona University, she moved to Washington for five years where she met and married her husband, Pino, and had a daughter before the couple returned to the area to be closer to family. Her daughter is now a junior at Bradshaw Mountain High School and her son is a 7th grader at Franklin Phonetic School.
Lira later worked for the Arizona Department of Economic Security Child and Community Services Division where she co-administered Child Care and Development Block Grants.
“I really enjoyed that work,” she said. “It’s just the background of how we provide services for our residents, our citizens, to make sure that people are thriving. It’s kind of interesting that housing is what brought me to Prescott Valley through my father and now I’m in housing in some ways through Neighborhood Services.”
When she started as deputy director, Lira began overseeing Animal Services, formerly Animal Control, for the town. Creating a friendlier face for the former animal control department is a priority, Lira said, because the division is primarily about education and helping people to understand what’s required of Prescott Valley pet owners to properly care for their animals and for the safety of the community. A uniform change is part of that new appearance.
The department has also contracted for enhanced pet licensing services through DocuPet, which includes a free 24/7 lost pet service. Additionally, the town is looking into a low-cost spay/neuter service for pets. “We’d like to offer a voucher to lower the cost, and we’ve applied for a grant for that.”
She has created a classroom space in the Neighborhood Services offices next to the Prescott Valley Public Library for more community outreach in all aspects of the department. She has found that many people don’t know what Animal Services or Code Compliance personnel do, and why.
She also is looking forward to expanding housing services with homeowner education, an updated bulk trash disposal program and a new household hazardous waste disposal option. In the past, Prescott Valley offered free bulk waste disposal service once each year at a pre-determined location. Now, homeowners can obtain a voucher online and dispose of their waste when it’s convenient for them.
Under the new hazardous waste program, residents may submit an online request through October. The Town will then determine the level of interest and plan pickup routes. Curbside pickups are scheduled to begin this month.
Lira would like to see some successful older neighborhood programs return, including the neighborhood naming project for older areas. The first one of these was the Superstition Hills neighborhood, spearheaded by former Prescott Valley Vice Mayor Lora Lee Nye.
Another popular program was a neighborhood bicycle patrol, which built strong community police relationships, especially with parents and children.
Her long-term vision includes a home revitalization program and affordable housing planning and rebuilding a robust neighborhood volunteer program to assist elderly or disabled homeowners who cannot do needed yard work and cleanup themselves.
Lira says she believes Prescott Valley can engage in strategic, thoughtful build-out discussions with a balance between supporting established residents and attracting and retaining young professionals and families. Ensuring adequate services and jobs for all ages and backgrounds, she said, will help to keep the community vital.
Lira says growing up in Prescott Valley gave her a unique connection to her community and preparation for her current role. “The opportunity to make a difference in my hometown is what caught my eye.”
What I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up
I always wanted to be a CEO of a company one day. I didn’t know what field or what type of company, I just knew I wanted to be running it.
In My Spare Time
I love to play tennis. I’ve played since I was in middle school. I took some time off in my adult life and picked it up again about two years ago. It started as a way to spend time with my sister. Then our husbands and kids joined in.
My Role Model
I’m fortunate to have worked with many brilliant, strong, successful women in leadership in my life, who set a path worth following. In particular, I give credit to Stacy Reinstein, deputy director of Governance and Innovation Administration at Arizona Department of Economic Security, and Monica Snyder, assistant director of Strategic Communications for ADES. Both ladies juggled with such grace the life of raising children with the needs of a demanding job. They both foster positive work environments, lead by example and empower their staff to thrive. This definitely inspired me, showing me that I can have both a successful career and be an engaged mother.
What I Love to Do
I love to travel and explore new places. I have really enjoyed many trips with my family out of the country to Mexico, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. For our next trip, we would like to go to the Philippines.
Best Advice Ever Received
“You can do hard things!” My trainer says this to me when I find myself ready to give up on a lift or exercise. I find her advice helpful in all aspects of my life and I have even found myself telling my kids the same thing. QCBN
By Heidi Dahms Foster, QCBN
Courtesy Photo: Neighborhood Services Director Traci Lira is making an impact on Prescott Valley.
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