'They've got a hairball that they're dealing with'

[Olympian]

Hello,

This is from the Yahoo news story Yosemite plan means fewer hikers on Half Dome

Last year park officials instituted a temporary 400-permit lottery for daily access, which is roughly from Memorial Day until the first snow in October.
"I think they're doing a fine job, but I think they've got a hairball that they're dealing with trying to come up with something that works," said Rick Deutsch, who wrote the book "One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome." He says 400 permits is a more workable number that accounts for no-shows.

Could you please help me understand the meaning of the sentence in red above? Does 'hairball' mean something very 'complicated' or 'difficult', in this context?

Thank you

[J&K Tutoring]

I bet you've seen a cat lick its fur to clean and groom itself. Some of the hairs come off and are swallowed. Eventually, this swallowed fur forms a ball in the cat's gut and she will vomit this disgusting thing up with some difficulty and leave it for you to find (ick!).

In the same way, the park officials must deal with this disagreeable issue and come up with a solution that is the least objectionable to the most people.

[Olympian]

Thank you