Faced with a crumbling infrastructure first installed generations ago, the Village of Albion is embarking on a series of aggressive water rate increases that will see the average resident’s bill rise by nearly 75% over three years. The move follows a series of tense village board meetings and aims to plug a massive operating deficit while funding a multi-million dollar overhaul of the East Side. With a poverty rate hovering above 23%, the financial burden threatens to strain a community already struggling with economic hardship.