Section 5. Township board; election of members; powers and duties; supervisor as presiding and executive officer; authentication of instruments; president pro tem; clerk; record of proceedings; temporary clerk.

   (1)   Except as otherwise provided in this act, all legislative authority and powers of each charter township shall be vested in and shall be exercised and determined by a township board of 7 members composed of the supervisor, the township clerk, the township treasurer, and 4 trustees who shall be electors in the township. If the provisions of this act are adopted, the township board as constituted at the time of the adoption of this act shall constitute the township board until the first general election at which township officers are elected after the adoption of this act. All members of the township board shall be elected under the provisions of the Michigan election law, Act No. 116 of the Public Acts of 1954, being sections 168.1 to 168.992 of the Michigan Compiled Laws. If 2 additional trustees are required to be elected, they shall be elected at the next general election. If the next general election is not a regular township election, each additional trustee shall hold office until a successor is elected at the next regular township election and qualifies for office.

   (2)    The elected township board described in subsection (1) shall be the successor to the prior township board of the township and shall possess the powers and perform the duties of township boards in townships in addition to the powers granted by law to charter townships. As a member of the township board, the supervisor shall be the presiding and executive officer of the board and shall have an equal voice and vote in the proceedings of the board. The supervisor shall authenticate by his or her signature any instruments which the board and the laws of the state or the federal government may require. If the supervisor is absent from a meeting of the township board, the board shall appoint 1 of its members president pro tem for that meeting. The township clerk shall be clerk of the township board and shall keep a full record of all the proceedings of the township board. In the absence of the clerk, the board shall appoint 1 of its members as temporary clerk for that meeting.