The main duty of a township board member is to serve on the township board. But the statutes assign various administrative (non-policymaking) duties to the four township board offices.
The word “duty” is not used lightly.
MCL 750.478 provides that any public officer who willfully neglects to perform a statutory duty, “where no special provision shall have been made for the punishment of such delinquency,” is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year or a fine of not more than $1,000.
When a township board office has a statutory duty to perform an administrative function for a township, the officeholder does not “own” the duty—you “owe” the duty to see that the function is performed properly for the township.
At the very least, the officeholder has a responsibility to see that the duties of his or her office get done, and that may include working with the board to have the job done by others, including the official’s deputy, other township staff or outsourcing, under the officeholder’s oversight. Depending on the statute that assigns the duty, there may be limitations on who may perform it. For example, mandated financial internal
controls would prevent the treasurer from performing the clerk’s accounting functions.
In reality, the trustees’ statutory duties are those of all township board members—you are all trustees when you are sitting at the head table as the “board of trustees.” No one board member has more or less authority than the others at the head table.
But as the name implies, a trustee is an individual placed in a position of public trust with fiduciary responsibilities to manage the affairs of the township for the best interests of the public. The trustee has the responsibility to attend township board meetings and participate in decisions and deliberations. Trustees should be given an opportunity to investigate and study important decisions before voting. They should insist upon this opportunity if it has not been afforded them, unless they feel qualified to make a decision without such study and investigation.
Clerk Statutory Duties
- Must appoint a deputy
- Must post a surety bond
- Responsible for the drafting and maintenance of township board
meeting minutes - Publishes board meeting minutes (if taxable value is $114 million
in 2025, annually indexed, or a charter township) - Notifies township board members of special township board
meetings - Responsible for township board meeting notices
- Maintains custody of all township records not assigned by law to
another board office - Keeps the township “oath book” (oath slips must be filed with clerk)
- Responsible for maintenance of township “ordinance book” (ordinances, including the zoning ordinance, must be filed with clerk)
- Receives and delivers tax certificates (often L-4029) of taxing entities to supervisor for summer and winter tax bills
- Accounts for all township funds
- Monthly reconciles general ledger against treasurer’s banking ledger, receipts and deposits (required by Michigan Treasury Accounting Procedures Manual; in a charter township, MCL 42.29 requires supervisor or superintendent to do)
- Prepares financial reports for the township board:
- At least monthly balance sheet by fund (best practice per Michigan Treasury Accounting Procedures Manual)
- At least monthly check report
- At least quarterly revenue and expenditure report (required per Michigan Treasury Accounting Procedures Manual)
- Provides information to assist in development of budget, at least for clerk’s area of responsibility (“clerk’s department,” “elections department”)
- Initiates and signs all payments leaving township (except for current-year tax collection disbursement account). ONLY clerk or deputy clerk can sign payments (checks/electronic) for the “clerk’s side.” ONLY treasurer or deputy treasurer can sign payments for the “treasurer’s side.” Someone else can do preparation of payments.
- Unless records are assigned by law to another office, maintains or oversees maintenance of personnel, payroll and payables records (In a charter township, the supervisor or superintendent would do, depending on how township board has defined “personnel director” duties under MCL 42.10(n).)
- Township “department head” for elections (budgeting and preparation for equipment, software, training, internal staffing, etc.)
- Chairs the township election commission, which appoints election inspectors and conducts specific other pre-election functions
- Voter registration (done year ’round, including specific hours during 14 days prior to an election, early voting days and Election Day)
- Qualified Voter File maintenance and updating
- Candidate and local proposal petition filings
- Publishing and posting election notices
- Absent voter process—list, applications and ballots
- Military and overseas voters
- Ballot proofing
- Preparation and programming of election equipment (electronic pollbook, working with election commission on equipment for preliminary and public accuracy tabulation tests)
- Election Day issues (including early voting days)
- Closing the polls/precinct canvass
