CHAGRIN FALLS TOWNSHIP was created by the Board of Commissioners of Cuyahoga County in March 1845, a year after CHAGRIN FALLS VILLAGE was incorporated, on receipt of a petition from the inhabitants of the area. It is not one of the original townships of the WESTERN RESERVE. The government was put in place at a meeting at Griswold's Tavern on 7 April 1845. Stoughton Bentley, Ralph Russell, and Boardman H. Bosworth were chosen trustees. Thomas Shaw was selected as treasurer, Alanson Knox as clerk, and Rev. John K. Halleck as assessor. Although not documented, it is possible that residents petitioned for a township to unify the area. Some inhabitants of Chagrin Falls Village lived in Solon Twp., others in Orange Twp. Noah Graves, an early inhabitant of the town, was a commissioner of Cuyahoga County at the time of the request, but it is not known whether he took a special interest. Since Chagrin Falls Village lies wholly within the township of Chagrin Falls, property owners of the village are subject to the real property tax levied by the township, in addition to that levied by the village. That gives property owners beyond the boundaries of the village, but within the township, a tax advantage. Continual efforts to resolve this situation have not yet succeeded. The township represents a layer of government with no legislative (or other) function to perform for the village. In 2010 its population was 4,233.
Last updated: 10/6/2019