(a) (1) The county commissioners or county council shall examine the petition and report at the first meeting after receiving the petition and report.

(2) If the county commissioners or county council find the petition and report are not in proper form or not in compliance with the law, the petition and report shall be returned to the petitioners to be corrected and resubmitted.

(3) If the petition and report are in proper form and in compliance with the law, the county commissioners or county council shall set a date for a public hearing on the petition and report.

(b) (1) At least 10 days before the hearing, the county commissioners or county council shall:

(i) publish notice of the time and place of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in each county in the area in which the proposed drainage association would be located; and

(ii) send notice of the hearing and any later hearing to the:

1. Department of Agriculture; and

2. State Soil Conservation Committee in the Department of Agriculture.

(2) The notice of the hearing shall state that a copy of the report is available for inspection in the office of the designated officer.

(c) A copy of the report shall be available for inspection in the office of the designated officer.