Groundbreaking has yet to occur for the new Burien City Hall/King County Regional Library at Town Square, but its cost keeps going up.

Burien council members learned about the latest cost overrun at their Aug. 6 meeting.

Originally budgeted at $9.5 million, the projected price tag for the three-story building later was adjusted up to $11. 5 million-and now has risen to $13.1 million.

The new city hall will occupy the top floor of the building at Southwest 152nd Street and Fourth Avenue South. Burien will pay about one-third of the cost of the facility.

"It's hard for me to understand how we could be spending that kind of money," Councilman Gordon Shaw said. "I'm quite happy with the design [of council chambers] and it's now up to $800 a square foot."

Councilwoman Sally Nelson added, "I support no budget increase and like it the way it is."

"I want to keep the cost the same," said Councilwoman Sue Blazak, who remained open to a design that would make the chambers more inviting.

But Mayor Joan McGilton said the city council "has repeatedly said it wants to be involved, yet "the city has not been listened too yet. We do have a voice in this process and we expect to be heard."

King County Sheriff's Deputy Aaron Thompson, a gang specialist, told lawmakers that "gang activity is on the rise" in the Highline area.

Last year 63 different gangs from the Bloods to the Hells Angels engaged in illegal activity locally.

Helping to combat gang-related crimes and gang membership is a special gang unit, he added.

Burien is the first city in the area to have such a special task force, Thompson noted.