Mayor Chris Beutler announced the nomination of nine people to an economic development board on Thursday and said one of the things they’ll be asked to work on is convincing the public of the need for bond issues.

And given the city’s yawning street financing gap, he said, “Most certainly, it’s very possible that a large road infrastructure bond issue is part of the future.”

Beutler said the development of the city’s street system is “extremely important to our development” and “absolutely crucial.”

Lincoln voters rejected a $2.7 million parks bond issue last year and a $75 million street bond issue  in 2004, but they approved a whopping $250 million bond issue for schools last year.

Beutler is forming what he calls the MOVE Council, which stands for Mayor’s Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy. He first proposed the council, which will focus on the city’s economic development policies, early in his mayoral campaign, in December.

On Thursday he announced the first nine of what will eventually be a 15-member council.

The council’s first task will be to develop community-wide consensus on the city’s economic policies to determine which projects best support those policies and find the resources to make them happen. The council will also:

* Help streamline city rules and regulations on business development.

* Develop strategies for using economic development tools such as tax increment financing.

* Communicate to the public the need for public investment in the form of bond issues.

“Our goal of creating an exceptional economy can only happen with a shared vision and a focus on making Lincoln more business-friendly,” Beutler said during his first press conference as mayor. “The political forces within the city must sit down face to face, think creatively together and work out necessary compromises to move us forward.”

Chamber President Wendy Birdsall said she was excited about the formation of the council, which she said marked “an historic moment in our city’s history.”

Beutler said the council will meet for the first time in the next few weeks.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.