If the latest proposed state Senate map wins final approval, Warren County will be grouped together with five new counties and initially be represented by a Kansas City Democrat. Under the tentative plan released last week, Warren County would move to the 10th District, which encompasses Lincoln, Montgomery, Audrain, Callaway and Monroe counties. The new district would include counties currently in the 18th, 26th, 2nd, 6th and 16th districts and be represented by Jolie Justus. A bipartisan redistricting commission approved the new Senate districts by an 8-2 vote last Thursday, Feb. 23. The tentative plan, however, cannot gain final approval until after a 15-day public comment period. Written comments can be submitted to the state Office of Administration. Following that, the redistricting commission can file a final map, if at least seven members vote in agreement. Justus was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and was re-elected in 2010. Despite not living within the new district boundaries, she will be able to fulfill the remaining two years of her four-year term representing the 10th District. The 10th District that Justus, who is the assistant minority floor leader, currently represents includes a portion of Jackson County, including much of Kansas City and Grandview. “It seems very strange that the 10th District is moving across the state,” Justus told KCTV, the CBS television affiliate in Kansas City. “But I think it will work out for the best.” Upon learning of the county’s inclusion in the 10th District, the Warren County Commission expressed concerns about the kind of representation it would receive and about the large geographic area that has to be covered. “We’re a stone’s throw from St. Louis and our vote will come from Kansas City?” Northern District Commissioner Dan Hampson said. “Our vote wouldn’t mean as much. How can they do it? That is absurd.” The commissioners also were skeptical how a senator from an urban area could handle issues facing the rural counties that make up the new district. “We truly wouldn’t have representation for two years,” Southern District Commissioner Hubie Kluesner said. “Our needs and concerns are totally different.” When the previous Senate map was presented in November, Warren County remained in the 26th District along with Franklin, Gasconade and Crawford counties. Currently, the 26th District consists of Warren and Franklin counties and part of western St. Louis County. The district is represented by Brian Nieves (R-Washington), who is in the second year of a four-year term. Under the latest Senate map, the 26th District would consist of Franklin County and a larger area of western St. Louis County. The area now represented by Justus would become the 7th District, which formerly was located on the eastern side of the state. But due to a population shift, the St. Louis area lost a Senate seat as part of the redistricting and the Kansas City area gained one. Redistricting occurs every 10 years following the census.