(1) Not more than 15 days after a petition is filed, the department shall determine whether the petition meets the requirements of section 4 and, if the petition does not meet those requirements, return the petition to the person who filed the petition. If the department returns a petition, the department shall include with the petition a statement of the reasons that the petition does not meet the requirements of section 4.

  (2) Not less than 30 days and not more than 45 days after a petition meeting the requirements of section 4 is filed with the department, the department shall hold a public hearing in the county where the proposed authority district is located. The department shall publish notice of the hearing twice in a newspaper of general circulation in the township or townships in which the proposed authority district is located. The first publication shall be not less than 10 days before the hearing. In addition, the department shall give notice of the hearing in the manner required by the open meetings act, Act No. 267 of the Public Acts of 1976, being section 15.261 to 15.275 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, and by first-class mail addressed to each record owner in the proposed authority district, to the county clerk of the county within which the proposed authority district is located, and to the township clerk of each township within which all or part of the proposed authority district is located. At the hearing, persons may comment on whether the proposed authority meets the requirements of section 6.

  (3) For purposes of this section, record owners shall be determined by the records in the register of deeds’ office as of the day of filing the petition. At the request of the department, a register of deeds shall certify whether the persons joining in the petition are record owners.