The county in which the part of the town proposed to be abandoned under § 15.2-3241 is located shall be named as defendant to the petition. Satisfactory proof that the petition, or a descriptive summary of the petition along with a reference to the place in the town where the petition may be examined, has been published in a newspaper having general circulation in the county or town three times, with the first notice appearing no more than 35 days before and the third notice appearing no less than seven days before the filing of the petition, shall be filed with the petition. A statement in the publication to the effect that a certain number of registered voters of the territory proposed to be abandoned signed the petition shall be sufficient in lieu of the names of the signers.