New maps approved by the state's Legislative Reapportionment Commission might finally end a drawn-out redistricting process.

But whether the maps are good news depends, at least in York County, on which side of the aisle one sits.

The redistricting process started last year, with new district maps expected to be in effect for the primary two months ago.

But the Supreme Court rejected the first plan because it split many municipalities and created unusual shapes -- some of which stretched through several counties -- for too many districts.

Senate seats: The 15th state Senate District, held by the retiring state Sen. Jeff Piccola, R-Dauphin, was among the oddly shaped districts drawing protests from Democrats. The initial plan shifted it west and included several York County municipalities.

Now, the new Republican-sponsored maps shift the 15th entirely outside York County. Even the five municipalities now part of the 15th -- Conewago and Newberry townships and Goldsboro, Lewisberry and York Haven -- would go to other districts.

The new maps would still leave York County with just one Senate seat entirely in its boundaries -- the 28th District, held by state Sen. Mike Waugh, R-Shrewsbury.

Portions of York County

would be included in three other Senate districts -- with York sharing the 31st District with Cumberland County, the 33rd District with Adams, Cumberland and Franklin, and the 48th District with Dauphin and Lebanon counties.

Like Piccola's 15th District, state Sen. Lloyd Smucker's 13th District would no longer contain eastern portions of York County.

In the House: The most substantial change in the House of Representatives is the addition of the 169th House District, which is moving from the Philadelphia area to the Hanover area, a move consistent with earlier versions of the redistricting plan.

Other changes include a stretching of the 94th, state Rep. Stan Saylor, R-Windsor Township's district, from the Maryland line to Springettsbury Township, adding the township and giving it a longer, skinnier shape.

Bob Wilson, chairman of the York County Republican Party, said he's "glad it's over" and thinks the new maps are a good compromise.

"At the end of the day, it's about making sure York County has proper representation in Harrisburg," he said. "This was a long, drawn-out process that needs to be re-evaluated to make sure this type of thing never happens again. These maps should have been for this (past April's) election."

The new maps, if approved, take effect next year. They would first be used in the 2014 elections for state House and Senate seats.

But while Wilson wants to move ahead with the newest maps, York County Democratic Party chair Bob Kefauver said he's not sure everyone in his party will agree with the new boundaries.

Another view: Kefauver said the state has gone from "really, really bad maps" to "really bad maps," and he doesn't consider the changes much of an improvement.

Communities are still being split, and some of the districts don't make sense, he said. For example, the 48th Senate District includes part of Springettsbury Township as well as Lebanon County, and "the folks in Springettsbury Township have little in common with Lebanon."

"Why fracture York County this way?" he said. "We get the short end of the stick ... and (the senators) typically don't even have offices in the county. Clearly, 'weird' isn't the word I would use. The word I would use is 'gerrymander.'"

The House maps show Saylor's district stretching from the Maryland line in southern York County to the north side of Route 462 in Springettsbury, Kefauver said.

He also thinks the 94th was stretched to dilute patches of Democratic voters in Springettsbury Township, he said.

A 30-day clock for legal challenges to the maps started on Friday, and there could be challenges. Kefauver said York's Democrats, before taking any action, are waiting to see what the state branch of the party decides to do.

-- Reach Christina Kauffman at ckauffman@yorkdispatch.com.

Legislative boundaries for House and Senate seats in York County

New maps approved by the state's Legislative Reapportionment Commission and pending approval by the state's Supreme Court draw the following boundaries for York County legislative districts:

SENATE

District 28

York City; the following townships, Chanceford, Codorus, East Hopewell, Fawn, Heidelberg, Hellam, Hopewell, Lower Chanceford, Lower Windsor, Manchester, Manheim, North Codorus, North Hopewell, Paradise, Peach Bottom, Shrewsbury, Spring Garden, Springfield, West Manchester, Windsor and York; and the boroughs of Cross Roads, Dallastown, Delta, East Prospect, Fawn Grove, Felton, Glen Rock, Hallam, Jacobus, Jefferson, Loganville, New Freedom, New Salem, North York, Railroad, Red Lion, Seven Valleys, Shrewsbury, Spring Grove, Stewartstown, West York, Windsor, Winterstown, Wrightsville, Yoe and Yorkana.

Total population: 262,428

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District 31

Cumberland County and the following municipalities in York County:

Carroll, Dover, Fairview, Franklin, Jackson, Monaghan, Warrington and Washington townships and Dillsburg, Dover, Franklintown and Wellsville.

Total population: 255,939

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District 33

Adams, Cumberland, and Franklin counties and the following municipalities in York County:

Penn and West Manheim townships and Hanover.

Total population: 264,160

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District 48

Dauphin and Lebanon counties and the following municipalities in York County:

Conewago, East Manchester, Newberry and Springettsbury townships and Goldsboro, Lewisberry, Manchester, Mount Wolf and York Haven.

Total population: 256,094

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

District 47

Conewago, East Manchester, Hellam and Manchester townships and some wards of Springettsbury, as well as Hallam, Manchester, Mount Wolf, North York, Wrightsville and York Haven.

Total population: 64,187

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District 92

Cumberland County and the following municipalities in York County:

Carroll, Fairview, Franklin, Monaghan, Newberry, Warrington and Washington townships and Dillsburg, Franklintown, Goldsboro, Lewisberry and Wellsville.

Total population: 62,836

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District 93

East Hopewell, Fawn, Hopewell, North Hopewell, Springfield and York townships and Cross Roads, Dallastown, Fawn Grove, Jacobus, Loganville, Seven Valleys, Shrewsbury, Stewartstown, Winterstown and Yoe.

Total population: 62,859

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District 94

Chanceford, Lower Chanceford, Lower Windsor, Peach Bottom and Windsor townships and some wards of Springettsbury Township, as well as Delta, East Prospect, Felton, Red Lion, Windsor and Yorkana.

Total population: 62,119

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District 95

York City and Spring Garden and West Manchester townships and West York.

Total population: 63,880

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District 169

Codorus, Heidelberg, Manheim, Penn, Shrewsbury and West Manheim townships and Glen Rock, Hanover, Jefferson, New Freedom and Railroad.

Total population: 62,846

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District 196

Dover, Jackson, North Codorus, Paradise and West Manchester townships and Dover, New Salem and Spring Grove.

Total population: 62,068

-- Staff writer Christina Kauffman