The county board of each county, except as provided in Article 15, may (i) alter the boundaries of townships, (ii) change township lines, (iii) divide, enlarge, consolidate, and create new townships in its county, (iv) make alterations of the township boundaries, and (v) create a new township whenever, in any territory of not less than 36 square miles or possessing an equalized assessed valuation for taxation purposes of not less than $6,000,000 for the preceding 2 years, three-fourths or more of the voters residing in the territory petition for a new township. The new territory proposed to be organized into a new township shall, however, contain at least 200 legal voters, and the respective remaining portions of each of the townships from which the new township is taken shall also contain at least 200 legal voters and shall either contain not less than 36 square miles or possess an equalized assessed valuation for taxation purposes of not less than $6,000,000 for the preceding 2 years. The county board, however, before taking any final action in any of the matters relating to any of these townships, shall hold a public hearing on those matters after notice of the hearing has been published at least 3 times in a newspaper having a general circulation in the townships affected. The first of the notices shall be published at least 60 days before the date of the hearing. No incorporated town, however, may be divided unless the proposition has been certified to the appropriate election authorities, the referendum is held in accordance with the general election law, and consent to the division is given by a majority of all the electors in the incorporated town voting on the proposition.