(a) Before a proclamation of the commission may be adopted, the department shall hold public hearings in the county to be affected by the proclamation if the director or the director's designee receives a petition for a public hearing signed by not less than 25 persons who reside in the county.
(b) The hearing may be conducted by a member of the commission or by any designated employee of the department. This subsection does not require the presence of a member at any local hearing.