An “emergency town-hall meeting” sponsored by 6th District County Councilman John Campisi, R-south county, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. today — March 22 — at Oakville Senior High School, 5557 Milburn Road.

Campisi called the meeting in response to the county’s plans to field bids from waste haulers for exclusive service in trash districts that are yet to be determined.

Campisi said he is seeking public input to consider introducing legislation that would retain residents’ right to choose their preferred hauler, but also designate specific days for trash pickup.

He also said he would invite County Executive Charlie Dooley to attend.

Dooley spokesman Mac Scott has said the County Executive also will schedule town-hall meetings this year to explain the trash-district system to residents.

Plans for dividing unincorporated areas of the county into more than 20 trash districts by Jan. 15 stem from a bill unanimously ap-proved Dec. 12 by the County Council.

That 7-0 vote also requires all trash haulers in the county to offer a “minimum level of service” that includes once-per-week trash collection, once-per-week recyclable pickup and twice-per-year bulk-waste collection.

Residents are not required to recycle or participate in the collection of bulk waste, but still must pay for the monthly fees that are attached to those options as part of the “minimum level of service.”

Any additional services like twice-per-week trash pickup will be available to residents at an extra cost, according to the legislation.

Although Campisi joined the rest of the council by voting in favor of the bill, he told the Call he was misled by the councilman who introduced the bill — then-3rd District Councilman Skip Mange, R-Town and Country. Campisi said that after he initially voted against the bill, Mange then persuaded him to change his vote by telling him during that meeting that the bill would address Campisi’s concerns about designating days for pickup, but not limit trash districts to one waste service.

County studies have indicated that a majority of residents prefer the implementation of trash districts and less are concerned with the freedom to choose their own hauler, according to Scott.

The change to trash districts came as a result of a 2000 phone survey that found most county residents favor trash districts. The boundaries of the trash districts “shall be determined after consideration of factors including size, compactness, road system and other relevant considerations,” according to the waste-management code.