(a) (1) The county commissioners, county council, or Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City shall examine the petition and report at the first meeting after receiving the petition and report.

(2) If the county commissioners, county council, or Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City 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 county commissioners, county council, or Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City find the petition and report are in proper form and in compliance with the law, the county commissioners, county council, or Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City 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, county council, or Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City 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 watershed association would be located; and

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

1. Department of Agriculture;

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

3. Department of the Environment; and

4. Water Management Administration in the Department of the Environment.

(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.