D.C. summer jobs program running out of money
By: Michael Neibauer
Examiner Staff Writer
July 8, 2009
The District's summer jobs program will run out of money July 22, forcing thousands of youth to be out of work weeks earlier than expected unless D.C. leaders agree to fund a month's worth of payroll.
Mayor Adrian Fenty's Summer Youth Employment Program was budgeted $23 million for the 2009 session -- roughly $20 million shy of what is needed to pay 21,000 participants, consultants and job sites for nine weeks. In May, Fenty proposed emptying the Ballpark Community Benefit Fund of its $23.4 million to cover the gap, but the D.C. Council has balked so far.
The next payday is July 15.
"We're on track to pay the kids this month, no problems!" Fenty spokeswoman Mafara Hobson said in an e-mail.
But only one legislative meeting remains to break the stalemate and find the money to continue paying them into August -- an increasingly difficult challenge given a looming $340 million shortfall over the next two fiscal years.
"We're obviously hoping we can work something out," at-large Councilman Michael Brown said Tuesday. "It's to benefit the kids. But we're dealing with some challenges around how this administration is running this program."
The cost of last summer's jobs program tripled to more than $50 million after Fenty expanded it to 10 weeks and declined to cap the number of participants. A debacle ensued as the time and attendance system failed, hundreds of non-resident youth were allowed to work, and thousands of employees were paid for work they did not do.
Complaints continue to come in this summer, Brown said.
Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry in early June sought to slash four weeks from the program. Council Chairman Vincent Gray said at the time that a six-week program was "entirely adequate" given last year's troubles.
Barry's proposal narrowly failed. But refusing to fund the program's last four weeks, as the council may still do, could have the same effect as cutting it off.
The mayor has significant latitude to use the Community Benefit Fund, an account established as part of the Nationals Park financing deal, for "community area priorities" such as job training. But the fund's enabling legislation also set aside millions for projects in the city's eight wards that might be jeopardized if the pot is emptied, council members say.
