Ideas for accomplishing key goals were plentiful Saturday as Lawrence city commissioners and some staff attended the second day of a brainstorming retreat at the Eldridge Hotel, 701 Mass.

Expanding the tax base through business growth, extending the viability of downtown’s Farmers Market and developing a public library improvement plan were among the objectives that commissioners listed.

The purpose of Saturday’s retreat was to come up with objectives for reaching eight goals commissioners set for themselves in areas such as economic development, planned growth, a downtown policy and community-building.

Concerning the latter, Commissioner Sue Hack called for better relations with Kansas University and Haskell Indian Nations University. She specifically mentioned how KU moved next year’s Oklahoma-KU football game to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., and its homecoming parade from downtown to campus a few years ago.

“We’re not just a wide spot in the road for KU to be here,” Hack said. “I feel like we are at loggerheads sometimes and I don’t think we want to be. It works both ways.”

A new public library and developing a plan for the vacant Carnegie Library building at Ninth and Vermont streets also were seen as key attributes to downtown and community-building. A new library could be a multiuse anchor for downtown, commissioners said.

“We need to find out what we want to do and what it will cost to do it,” Commissioner David Schauner said of a new library.

Commissioners also saw a need to “freshen up downtown.” Mayor Mike Rundle suggested exploring the possibility of an “adopt-a-planter” program for groups that want to take on that responsibility.

Other possible objectives commissioners suggested:

• More downtown events.
• More affordable housing through a land trust.
• Ensure the accountability of the police department.
• Better cooperation with Douglas County government officials in the areas of development and growth.
• Development incentives for luring businesses, in addition to tax abatements.
• Identifying and securing sources of funding for an economic development fund.