City commissioners erred earlier this week in approving a policy that called for creation of a business-registration program, Mayor David Dunfield said Thursday.

Dunfield said the policy the City Commission approved Tuesday shouldn’t specifically have called for a program requiring every business in the city to register with City Hall.

Instead, Dunfield said, the intent of the policy was to point out the need for an inventory of the city’s existing businesses to help better plan for commercial growth. Dunfield said it was possible such an inventory could be created without a business registry.

“I think what we’re saying is that we need some data, but how we get a hold of that data is entirely up in the air,” Dunfield said. “I think what we have here is a basic misunderstanding. We’re not ready to propose any type of business-registration program.”

Dunfield indicated the policy probably would be changed when it came back up for discussion, possibly as early as Tuesday’s commission meeting.

A few members of the business community who were caught off guard by a registration requirement were among those who have contacted Dunfield since Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’ve gotten a mixed response,” Dunfield said. “There has been skepticism of what it would cost and that we don’t really need government looking into our business more than it already does. But I’ve also had people who say a business inventory would be really useful information.”

Douglas County Commissioner Jere McElhaney said he had heard concerns about a registration requirement from about a dozen different business owners. He said he had put the issue on the county’s agenda for Monday. County commissioners would have to approve the city policy because it is part of Horizon 2020, the joint comprehensive plan for the city and the county.

“Quite frankly, I was upset that they moved forward with this without even talking to us about it,” McElhaney said. “This County Commission has had a real open-door policy with the city, and then when they do this, it makes you think the city doesn’t want to talk to you eye-to-eye. It seems like they would rather talk down to us.”

County Commissioner Bob Johnson was part of a group of city and county officials who were meeting to work out wording on changes to Horizon 2020’s commercial chapter, but Johnson said Thursday that he could not recall a business-registration program being mentioned.

Johnson said he agreed with Dunfield that the document, written by city staff, included improper language in regards to a registration program.

“I think it is a case that we simply let language slip through,” Johnson said. “If we would have taken a second look, I think that we would have said that isn’t what we mean.”

Lavern Squier, president and chief executive of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said the organization had received few comments from its members about the requirement. But Squier said he was relieved to learn the city was rethinking a business-registration program.

“Registration certainly isn’t the norm in Kansas communities,” Squier said. “We would have a lot of questions. But I commend the mayor for responding to our concerns.”

Business owners on Thursday seemed to be taking a wait-and-see approach to a possible registration program.

“It seems like we have quite a bit of rules and regulations in this town already, so I’m not sure why we would want more,” said Kay Homolka, owner of K’s Tire Service. “But it probably wouldn’t be a big deal if it is just a quick survey form that we fill out.”