(a) An action brought to review, modify, suspend, or satisfy a rule, order, decision, or other act of the governing body of a municipality or other agency shall be trial de novo as that term is used in an appeal from a justice of the peace court to a county court. In the trial, no presumptions in favor of the order or rule apply, and evidence relating to the validity or reasonableness of the order or rule may not be heard. The determination of the action shall be made on the facts as in other civil cases, and the procedure used and the determination of orders and judgments to be entered in the trial shall be under the rules of law, evidence, and procedure prescribed under the constitution, statutes, and rules of procedure of this state applicable to civil trials.
(b) The trial of an action brought under this section shall be strictly de novo and the decision in the action shall be made on the preponderance of the evidence presented at the trial, independent of any administrative action taken by the board and free from the application of the substantial evidence rule stated by the courts relating to orders of other administrative or quasi-judicial agencies.