Township Clerk's Role & Responsibilities

The Clerk’s duties and responsibilities center around statutorily assigned functions, most of which are administrative. Although many of the Clerk’s duties are carefully detailed by state law and do not permit much personal discretion, the Clerk is a member of the township board with a vote equal to the other members. Thus, the Clerk votes on the questions of budget, personnel appointments, zoning and all other matters that come before the township board.

The Clerk typically has much contact with township residents. Requests for all types of information – from meeting places and dates to absentee ballots and zoning hearings – come to the Clerk’s office in person and by telephone, letter, fax and email. Whether residents think of the township board as open or closed, friendly and inviting or hostile to the public, depends in part on policies and practices set by the Clerk. The Clerk, then, plays a significant role in establishing the atmosphere in which the board conducts the business of serving its residents.

In addition to numerous ancillary duties, Michigan law requires the Township Clerk to carry out three major responsibilities involving township recordkeeping, financial operations and elections.