(a) If a vacancy occurs in the office of municipal judge of a court of record, the governing body shall by ordinance or charter provide for the appointment of a qualified person to fill the office for the remainder of the unexpired term.
(b) The governing body may appoint one or more qualified persons to be available to serve for a municipal judge who is temporarily absent due to illness, family death, continuing legal or judicial education programs, or any other reason. The presiding judge, or the municipal judge if there is no presiding judge, shall select one of the qualified persons appointed by the governing body to serve during the absence of a municipal judge. The substitute judge, while serving as a municipal judge, has all the powers and shall discharge all the duties of a municipal judge. A substitute judge must meet the qualifications prescribed for the municipal judge.