CCU Hires Interim General Manager; Young To Remain During Transition Year
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by Megan Wylie
The Clarksville Connected Utilities Commission voted to hire Eric Heinrichs as interim general manager following an executive session during a special meeting Feb. 9, pending completion of background and drug testing.
Current General Manager Roy Young told The Graphic Heinrichs is expected to begin work within the next several months, though a start date has not been finalized. Contract terms, including salary, have also not been finalized, he said.
Young added the expectation is for Heinrichs to work alongside him and eventually transition into the general manager role, with Young gradually stepping back over the coming year.
Heinrichs currently serves as director of engineering for the city of North Little Rock.
Energy Services Management
The Commission also authorized Young to sign a contract for energy services management with Texas-based Priority Power Management and Kansas-based Evergy and to present the agreement to the Clarksville City Council for approval.
(Editor’s note: See the Clarksville City Council story on page 1 for additional information.)
The contract follows CCU’s planned exit next month from its power purchase agreement with the Oklahoma Municipal Power Association.
Young signed a two-phase contract with Priority Power Management in May 2025. The first phase ran from June 2025 through February and included additional tasks to prepare for the transition. The second phase, a 39-month term set to begin in April, adds Evergy as a partner in providing energy management services.
Under the agreement, the companies will source power for CCU through the Southwest Power Pool and the Southwestern Power Administration.
When the initial contract was approved in May 2025, Young said the firms would work together to provide “adequate, reliable, low-cost power” using a market-facing approach. Under that model, CCU pays variable power costs based on market conditions, with costs managed through operational practices and hedging strategies that allow greater flexibility and potential savings but require careful risk management.
Commission members present were Roger Brooks, LaShainea Pollander, Ethan Powell, Jennifer Risinger, and Freeman Wish. The next regular meeting of the Commission is Feb. 23 at 4:30 p.m. in the CCU conference room.
Read this story and others in the Feb. 11 issue of The Graphic, available online and at businesses throughout Franklin and Johnson counties. Subscribe or donate here to support more hometown journalism.
