Sacramento’s vice mayor questioned the Development Oversight Commission (DOC) Thursday over its plan to combine the city’s design and planning commissions.

The plan has drawn criticism from residents who say that joining the design and planning commissions would put a damper on public involvement. The DOC is an advisory group to the city’s Development Services Department.

At Thursday’s City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Lauren Hammond asked DOC members pointed questions about their plan.

She criticized the way the DOC had presented its proposal. “I don’t know if you’ve changed your recommendation completely, but do you feel better knowing that you’ve talked to some of the neighbors? Instead of it coming directly to council without ever having a hearing?” Hammond asked.

Responding to the question, DOC member Darryl Chinn noted that he was one of the commissioners who suggested that the commission meet with neighborhood groups. He said DOC met with many neighborhood associations in the central city and in outlying areas. Each part of the city has a different perspective on how the DOC is doing its job, Chinn said.

“So, with that recent knowledge that we’ve gained, we wanted to take a step back (and) share that knowledge” with the Development Services Department and the City Council, he said.

Hammond said she appreciated the DOC’s decision to take a step back in its process for the proposal.

Meanwhile, Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy praised the DOC, saying it has done a “terrific job of looking at every issue on its own basis.”

DOC members appeared before City Council to discuss the commission’s annual report.

The Development Services Department won an honor last year from the Sacramento Business Journal, the annual report notes.

“Since the DOC’s inception in 2002, DSD has gone through significant organization and cultural change,” the report states. “These positive developments led to 2008’s well deserved recognition by the Sacramento Business Journal as the premier department amongst all local agencies.”

Earlier this week, the DOC addressed its controversial proposal, and its new plan to work with other commissions to brainstorm ideas for efficient city planning. Read the DOC’s April 27 letter to Mayor Kevin Johnson here.