Pepper Pike Civic League Information

HISTORY â€" In 1815, sixteen pioneers settled in the area called Orange which included the present cities of Pepper Pike, Orange, Moreland Hills, Woodmere, and Hunting Valley. A township was established in 1820 with 36 voters. By the late 1800's there was a village hall at Orange Center, now the intersection of Pinetree and SOM Center Roads. There were nine one-room elementary schools in the area. For high school, students went to nearby towns at a cost of 50 cents per year per pupil. In 1924, 250 residents of Orange signed a petition to separate and incorporate as Pepper Pike Village in order to issue bonds for water and roads. The Van Sweringen Company developed the area for country estates and put in new roads and three traffic circles. The village became a city in 1970. There are several interesting theories about the name of Pepper Pike, but none of them can be verified. POPULATION â€" According to the 2000 census the population is 6,040. The number of homes in Pepper Pike according to the Building Department records is 2,337. GENERAL STATISTICS â€" Pepper Pike covers approximately seven square miles. Within its boundaries are five churches and synagogues, three private clubs, a college, the Orange Schools, the Orange Library branch, two non-profit agencies serving the needs of young people, a Senior Center, clusters of retail stores, plus office and commercial buildings. INCOME TAX / OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE â€" An important source of revenue is the city income tax of 1%. (A credit of 1/2 of 1% to a maximum of 1% is given to residents whopay city income tax to another municipality where they are employed.) Other sources of revenue include taxes on real estate, estates, admissions, and gasoline. Building fees, court fines, and motor vehicle licensing provide additional revenue. PROPERTY TAX RATE â€" For the Tax Year 2006 (collected in 2007), the effective tax rate for Pepper Pike is $66.90 per$1,000 of the taxable value of each parcel of real estate. The real estate taxes are allocated as follows: $40.02 to the Orange School District, $14.35 to the county, $9.05 to the city, $1.81 to the county library, and $1.67 to the Metro Park System. The effective tax rate is the rate used for calculation of real estate taxes, based on the taxable value of the real estate which is by statute equal to 35% of its fair market value as determined by the Cuyahoga County Auditor. The simplest way to calculate the amount of property tax one would pay for a house in Pepper Pike is to multiply the market value of the property by 2.05% for the year 2008.