The county court shall direct the county surveyor, or county engineer if the county employs a registered professional engineer, to make a survey of the work contemplated to be done and prepare plats, plans, profiles and estimates of cost of the work to be done, and shall assess the damage sustained by any person owning any land affected by such improvement, taking into consideration all benefits which will accrue from the work contemplated to be done to the land. The county surveyor, or county engineer, shall file with the county clerk the plats, plans, profiles, estimates of cost, and assessment of damages. Not less than 30 nor more than 60 days after the county surveyor, or county engineer, has filed the data with the county clerk, the county court shall hold a hearing, of which at least 10 days’ notice shall be given to all landowners affected, and to the authority which maintains any highway and to the owners of any railroad or tramway through which or under which any conduit is to be constructed, by publishing the same once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. At the hearing the county court shall hear evidence in support of the petition and in support of any protest or objection thereto, and after consideration shall determine whether it is to the interest and benefit of the land affected and conducive to the public welfare to grant the petition for the improvement. [Amended by 1965 c.287 § 1]