The City of Bend is getting a taste of what tightening the federal financial belt feels like. Bend City Councilor Jim Clinton had applied for federal earmark dollars to help pay for an applied research center. Earmarks have fallen to the budget axe. Clinton says this research center could be key to economic development. “We are trying to generate high wage jobs, and these jobs have large job multipliers. If you can get a company that pays it's people about 80-k, and it's outside money, that generates a lot of additional money in the economy.” Such a center could share research between companies, which is something that typically doesn't happen in private industry. Clinton says he hopes the City will continue to be a partner and look for other local partners who see the vision. Clinton says this project is something the local area will have to push and not look for help from either the state or the federal government.