The D.C. Council took care of their Marion Barry problem earlier this afternoon, so now it’s time to turn our eyes toward something else that always has the possibility to be a debacle for the city: the start of the Summer Youth Employment Program season, which officially kicked off today. District youth ages 14 to 21 may register via the DOES web site now through April 16.

As you’ll recall, the SYEP has been a major thorn in the side of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty ever since he took office. In his first year as mayor, massive payroll issues plagued the program, pushing it way over budget and making the mayor look inept. Last summer, residents starting wondering if the actual work the kids were doing wasn’t more harm than good. And this year, the D.C. Council has limited the program to only $20 million, a far cry from the $41 million it cost in 2009, or the $55 million it cost in 2008. And with a $240 million budget shortfall still looming this fiscal year and another $600 million the next, Fenty will be hard pressed to locate the extra $20 million he surely needs to keep the program at the same level as last year. There’s pretty much no way this program will come off without a single hitch in 2010.