In every circuit composed of more than 1 county, unless some other method of apportionment is prescribed in this act to make up the salary of the reporter or recorder, each county board of commissioners in the circuit shall appropriate annually such portion of the amount of the salary as shall be assigned to it by the chief or only circuit judge in proportion to the number of civil actions commenced in the circuit court for those counties respectively during the preceding year. It shall be the duty of the chief or only circuit judge of each circuit composed of more than 1 county on the first day of January of each year or as soon thereafter as possible, to apportion the amount of the salary to be paid by each county in his or her circuit as provided in this section and to notify the clerk of each county in the circuit of the proportion to be paid by that county. If there is only 1 county in the circuit, the salary of the reporter or recorder shall be paid out of the treasury of that county in the manner prescribed in section 1114(1).