Topeka ? A disagreement over how to draw boundaries in Johnson County is hindering progress on a new Kansas Senate redistricting plan.

The Senate Reapportionment Committee planned to meet four days this week to discuss a new map. Two weeks ago, Gov. Bill Graves vetoed a bill redrawing the 40 Senate districts.

In his veto message to legislators, Graves said the proposed lines for Johnson County ignored “communities of interest.” The county must pick up a seventh Senate district to account for its population growth in the past decade.

The plan Graves vetoed was drafted by a coalition of 11 conservative Republicans and the Senate’s 10 Democrats. During debate, they substituted it for a proposal backed by Senate President Dave Kerr, R-Hutchinson, and moderates.

Sen. Kay O’Connor said she would be unwilling to draw new lines in Johnson County that would break up the coalition.

“I want to make sure all of their concerns are taken care of,” said O’Connor, R-Olathe. “We don’t want to break up the coalition of 21.”

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Lana Oleen, R-Manhattan, convened a meeting of the county’s six senators to discuss their differences. The delegation is split 3-3 between conservative Republicans and Graves’ moderate allies.

During the meeting, Reapportionment Chairman David Adkins, R-Leawood, a Graves ally, said the disagreement came down drawing a north-south alignment of districts or an east-west alignment.

“Assuming Johnson County is one of those issues that can’t be resolved,” Adkins said, “I don’t know how we break the log jam.”

Critics have suggested the boundaries in the bill Graves vetoed were drawn so that a conservative Republican would win the new Johnson County seat. It favored an east-west alignment, creating a new district in the county’s southeast corner.

O’Connor, who drew the lines, said the bill gave rural southern Johnson County residents a chance to elect a senator. However, she has acknowledged those voters are more conservative than voters who live to the north.

The Kerr-supported plan would have drawn two narrow districts in eastern Johnson County from older areas like Leawood and Overland Park into the south.