As nearly as may be, hearings shall be conducted in accordance with the following order of procedure:
A. Opening Of Hearing: The presiding officer of the agency before which the hearing is being conducted shall announce that the hearing is convened upon the call of the docket number and title of the matter to be heard and shall direct the reading into the record of the formal notice of hearing given by the agency and shall note for the record all subpoenas issued and all appearances of record, including contestees and their counsels of record.
B. Opening Statement: The petitioner or his agent or attorney shall be allowed to make an opening statement to briefly explain his position to the agency and to outline the evidence he proposes to offer.
C. Presentation Of Evidence: The petitioner or his agent or attorney shall thereupon proceed to present his evidence. Witnesses may be cross examined by members of the agency. All exhibits offered by and on behalf of the petitioner shall be marked by letters of the alphabet beginning with “A”.
D. Other Parties: The other parties shall, in the order of answers or appearances made, be heard in the same manner as the petitioner.
1. They shall be allowed to make an opening statement in the same manner and for the same purpose as the petitioner.
2. Their evidence, witnesses and exhibits shall be marked by numbers beginning with “1".
E. Evidence Offered Out Of Order: The agency may, in its discretion, allow evidence to be offered out of order.
F. Rebuttal: At the conclusion of the presentation of the other party’s evidence, the petitioner may present rebuttal evidence.
G. Closing Of Evidence: At the conclusion of the petitioner’s rebuttal evidence, or if there is not rebuttal evidence, at the conclusion of the other party’s evidence, the presiding officer of the agency shall declare the evidence closed.
H. Closing Statements:
1. Closing statements will be made in the following sequence:
a. Petitioner.
b. Other parties.
c. Petitioner in rebuttal.
2. The time for oral arguments or closing statement may be limited by the agency.
I. Hearing Closed: After all the proceedings have been concluded, the agency shall declare the hearing closed. Any party may tender briefs of law to the agency, and the agency may call for such briefs as they may deem advisable or grant a party a reasonable time within which to prepare and submit briefs to aid the agency in arriving at a decision. The agency shall take the case under advisement and shall declare that its decision will be announced within a reasonable time following consideration of all the matters presented at the hearing.
(1982 Code § 2.06.130)