Endorsements: Curtiss, Wall and Tom Anderson for Fox River Grove village board.

Fox River Grove residents will elect three village board members on April 2 from a field featuring incumbents Jennifer Curtiss and Patrick Wall, former Trustee Tom Anderson and first-time candidate Eric Anderson.

The candidates agree substantially on key issues and on the best strategies to meet these challenges. All four concur, for example, that the village must continue to attract new businesses to the downtown area and to spruce up the appearance of downtown. All agree that the arrival of Sticks Pub & Grub and the village's approval of a Culver's form a solid foundation on which to build.

All four say the village must carefully allocate revenue where possible to bolster the severely underfunded police pension, a challenge shared by many other small, non home-rule communities throughout Illinois.

While the four candidates also agree that property taxes are an issue for residents throughout Illinois, here they vary slightly in tone and approach. Municipalities and other Illinois taxing entities are allowed to increase their property tax levy each year by a sum based on an increase in the previous year's Consumer Price Index (CPI). Taxing bodies that choose not to increase their levy by the amount legally permitted then establish a lower baseline for capturing additional property tax revenue, which has a compounding effect of lower tax revenue in ensuing years.

Curtiss, a financial services professional, and Wall, an attorney, say the village needs to capture CPI increases annually to ensure appropriate funding of village services and guard against variables that could reduce revenue from other sources. The state of Illinois, Curtiss correctly observes, is notably unpredictable in decisions affecting local government budgets.

Tom Anderson, a recently retired business executive, categorically states that he will not vote to capture CPI tax levy increases; Eric Anderson, a financial adviser, stops short of pledging to oppose CPI-based hikes but says the village must be "measured" in making that decision each year.

All four candidates are well-informed and committed advocates for Fox River Grove residents. The Daily Herald endorses incumbents Curtiss and Wall to continue work they've begun on key issues, and Tom Anderson, whose board experience and foresight on such issues as evolving wastewater treatment standards make him a sound choice.

With additional experience and community involvement, Eric Anderson also should prove a valuable contributor to village government.