Hearings shall be recorded by electronic device or by stenographic means. At the commencement of the hearing, the hearing officer shall call the hearing to order, take appearances, and enter into the record any stipulations that have been agreed upon between the parties. Each witness, before being permitted to testify, shall be required to swear or affirm that the testimony he or she is about to give is true. Witnesses refusing to so swear or affirm shall not be permitted to testify. Parties shall, so far as possible, have exhibits marked prior to commencement of the hearing. Where two or more witnesses have substantially similar interests and positions or where testimony becomes repetitive, the hearing officer may restrict the subject matter or duration of any testimony. (Code 1979, § 34-178; Ord. No. 2010-17, § 11, 5-17-2010)