County executive seeks RFP approach to food‑insecurity plan after farmers balk; council member says executive vetoed earlier bill

County Executive Sam Page told the St. Louis County Council on April 29 that he has asked members to allow the county to use a competitive request‑for‑proposals process to develop a countywide food‑insecurity program and to move funds into the Department of Human Services to support it.

Page said he met with three urban farmers who had withdrawn from an earlier, council‑approved plan; the farmers told him they were uncomfortable with the originally proposed process and preferred a competitive, countywide RFP. Page said he asked the council to authorize use of an RFP, to house the project in the Department of Human Services, and to transfer $4,500,000 from the general operating fund to DHS to support a long‑term, countywide food‑security program.

"I would like the full $4,500,000 that was originally allotted for food insecurity to go to this project so that we can ensure it is sustainable and effective," Page said. He said the proposed project would allow businesses that work in the industry to participate and help the county address food insecurity as a top priority in the STL Co 2050 comprehensive plan.

During public comment, the Rev. Phil Duvall of the Missionary Baptist State Convention of Missouri urged the council to preserve the effectiveness of recently passed measures and said his convention supported "Bill 54," which he said had passed in the council two weeks prior. Duvall also called for listening sessions so council members could hear residents’ experiences with transportation and access to fresh food.

Later in the meeting, Councilwoman Gretchen Webb said that County Executive Page had vetoed the council’s food‑insecurity bill. Webb described the veto as a setback for North County and criticized the executive’s outreach to farmers who she said were out of compliance; she said she would continue to pursue alternative paths to support local food access.

The executive’s remarks represented his proposal and request to the council; the transcript records Page’s proposals and Webb’s public statement that the bill was vetoed but does not record a subsequent council vote to approve the RFP approach or to transfer funds. No formal council action on Page’s RFP request was recorded in the April 29 meeting minutes portion of the transcript.