During the summer of 1908 the Village of Bexley officially came to be. In August of 1908 the first council meeting was held at Capital University. The village had about 1,000 residents at the time. Frank P. Holtzman was elected as the first mayor.
Bexley became a separate and legally incorporated village after a lengthy lawsuit involving Columbus. The village had to fight against paying Columbus taxes and being considered as annexed territory.
By 1921 the population had grown to 2,000. In 1928 there were over 5,000 residents. 5,000 residents were required to become a city. This could not be certified until after the 1930 national census was official. A city charter was adopted in 1931 and Bexley became an official city in 1932.