As the city of Calera continues to grow and new houses spring up, council members are becoming used to the crowds that sometimes attend council meetings and complain about drainage problems on their property.

During Monday’s Calera City Council meeting, a group of homeowners from the Camden Cove subdivision addressed council members about a drainage ditch that has plagued them for months. Dale Borden has brought his complaints about the eroding drainage ditch in his backyard before the council before.

&uot;I don’t know how many times I’ve been here about it,&uot; Borden said.

According to Borden, a developer did not complete a drainage ditch behind his home on Hermitage Lane. The developer moved the ditch and made some changes, but the ditch continues to erode, Borden said.

Now, Borden and his neighbors are worried that they will eventually have to pay for repairs to the ditch.

&uot;I’m looking in the long run here. If we’re going to do something to fix it, let’s do it now,&uot; Borden said. &uot;It’s got to be something permanent.&uot;

The city addressed the problem of drainage ditches in new subdivision earlier this year by changing its regulations.

However, Borden said, he is concerned that new homes going up in Camden Cove West could contribute to sediment erosion.

&uot;We’re worried that years down the road it will be the homeowner’s problem,&uot; he said.

Richard Koester, who also owns a home on Hermitage Lane, showed Mayor George Roy pictures of a hole in his backyard that has been affected by runoff from the eroding ditch. Koester said he just wants the ditch filled in so that he can have his yard back.

&uot;I just want it done right,&uot; he said.

Roy, Councilman Jerry David and other city officials visited the property after homeowners complained of problems with the ditch.

Street lights also generated discussion during Monday’s council meeting. For the past year, the city has continued to approve new street lights for the city’s many new subdivisions.

Some of those street lights have not been installed yet, even though in some cases they were approved more than a year ago.

Also, some of the lights are broken or inoperable. Residents complained Monday night of dark streets in their neighborhoods.

City utilities manager David Jones said he has done an inventory of street lights in the city to see which ones are working. The inventory was sent to Alabama Power, he said.

Roy said he would call Alabama Power about the street lights.