Any witnesses offering evidence or testimony in public hearings as allowed in this chapter may be placed under oath and subject to cross-examination at the request of any member of the Council or parties interested in the matter which is the subject of the hearing. When the hearing involves a determination by the Council of any question of fact, the evidence or testimony must be relevant or material to the fact or facts at issue. The presiding officer shall determine all questions as to relevancy and materiality. Hearsay evidence shall be admissible in hearings, but the fact that evidence is hearsay may affect the weight to be given to the evidence by the Council in reaching a determination of any question of fact. Failure on the part of the City Council to strictly enforce rules of evidence and reject certain matters which may be irrelevant or immaterial shall not be sufficient to constitute reversible error on the part of the City Council, if basic procedural due process is granted to all parties and a fair hearing has been conducted. Errors which do not affect substantial rights will be disregarded, and no presumption of prejudicial error is raised by the failure to strictly adhere to procedural requirements. (Ord. 1486 § 2, 1973; prior code § 1.225(1)).