(a) All appointments to vacancies shall be made solely on the basis of merit, efficiency, and fitness. These qualities shall be determined through careful and impartial evaluation of the following:

(b) No question in any test or in any application form or by any appointing authority shall be so framed as to attempt to elicit information concerning race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, changes in marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, genetic information or political affiliation for the purposes of discriminating.

(c) All statements submitted on the employment application or attached resume shall be subject to investigation and verification.

(d) If required by the department, applicants shall be fingerprinted prior to appointment.

(e) Any job applicant or employee may be required to take a physical examination. In cases where a physical examination is deemed advisable, the City shall pay the cost of the examination.