​WHEREAS, the London City Council enacted Ordinance No. 195 on April 14, 2026, establishing severe increases to municipal water rates and quadrupling volumetric wastewater usage rates from $2.50 to $10.00 per 1,000 gallons; and  

​WHEREAS, the rate increases enacted under Ordinance No. 195 exceed the rate recommendations certified by the Arkansas Rural Water Association (ARWA) under Act 605 of 2021, which recommended $21.65/k gal for water (passed at $23.00) and $8.00/k gal for sewer (passed at $10.00); and  

​WHEREAS, the ARWA study documented that the City of London suffers from an excessive 29.38% system water loss (well above the acceptable industry standard of 15%), effectively forcing paying customers to absorb the cost of unmetered loss and pipeline leaks; and  

​WHEREAS, the City implemented these increases immediately under an Emergency Clause without utilizing the statutory 24-month phase-in protections authorized under Ark. Code Ann. § 14-234-802(c)(2)(B)(iii), despite holding over $600,000 in cash equivalents and expending $212,193.86 in cash to retire long-term debt early;  

​NOW, THEREFORE, the undersigned residents, registered voters, and municipal water/sewer customers of the City of London, Arkansas, formally petition the London City Council to:

​Amend Ordinance No. 195 to reduce volumetric utility charges to levels no higher than the certified ARWA rate study baseline ($21.65/k gal for water and $8.00/k gal for sewer).  

​Implement a 24-Month Phase-In Schedule for all rate adjustments exceeding 50%, as permitted under Arkansas Act 605, to ease immediate severe economic distress on local families and seniors.

​Prioritize Capital Leak Abatement to resolve the 29.38% water loss before placing additional financial burdens on compliant, metered households.