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The money would have gone directly to Rustic Roots Sanctuary, a farm in north St. Louis County, and five other urban farmers, to help them expand operations and fill fresh food shortages.

Page said he vetoed the bill because the proposal didn’t go through a competitive bidding process.

“The council and I are aligned on the belief that eliminating disparities should be a priority for St. Louis County, but how we get there is where we have a difference,� Page said in a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “Simply put, using public funds for a private purpose is prohibited by the Missouri Constitution.�

Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, a Democrat who represents District 4, where Rustic Roots is located, called Page’s veto “a political decision.�

“It is a public acknowledgment that St. Louis County’s leadership is accepting failure,� Webb said in a statement.

In mid-March, Webb introduced legislation to create the program sending $3.2 million to Rustic Roots. The nonprofit’s founder, Janett Lewis, outlined her plan for using the money.

In addition to helping other farms expand, Rustic Roots would create an “agri-village� for educational residencies for aspiring farmers. It would also open a natural food store and a shared-use facility where farmers could store and prepare food for sale.

Rustic Roots would receive $2.45 million, and the other five farms would share the remaining $750,000.

But earlier this month, the Post-Dispatch reported on uncertainties surrounding the plan. There was no competitive bid for the service, as county rules require. The council didn’t set requirements for spending the money. Some council members didn’t even know what the plan was, or that other farmers were involved, until just hours before they voted on the legislation.

Nonetheless, the council approved the bill unanimously on April 15.

A week later, three of the farmers dropped out.

Confluence Farms was set to receive $250,000. Co-partner Gibron Jones said he dropped out because Lewis didn’t provide details on how the plan would work, or how the farms would receive funding.

Tyrean Lewis, who runs Heru Urban Farming, said he dropped out because he had lost faith in Lewis and the project. He was set to receive $202,500.

And Dail Chambers, who owns Coahoma Orchards, said Lewis offered no transparency on the program’s details. Chambers was set to get $35,000 to plant a raspberry field on a vacant lot in Riverview.

Lewis said those farmers dropped out because they didn’t have the credentials they needed to participate in the program.

The farmers flatly denied the accusation, and said Lewis never asked for credentials such as soil testing, insurance or proof of land ownership or leasing agreements.

On Tuesday, Page said he would ask the council to approve a competitive bidding process where any qualified organization could submit a proposal for how to use the money to address “food insecurity� in north county. Page also wants to increase the amount of money for the program from $3.2 million to $4.4 million — $1.2 million more. He envisions the county spending money on meal delivery, food vouchers, food distribution, nutrition programs and supporting food banks. They money could also support urban farms, like Webb’s plan proposes.

The Department of Human Services would oversee the program, Page said. He also wants the council to approve $100,000 for hiring a new employee in that department to manage the program. That brings the total to $4.5 million, the amount the council originally envisioned spending on food shortages when members were deciding how to use federal pandemic relief money.

In her statement, Webb said the veto is “a setback.�

“It is not the end,� she said. “The future belongs to those who refuse to back down.�

But Jones, the partner at Confluence Farms, praised Page’s veto.

“That is exactly what needs to happen,� Jones said.

The bill created a process that wasn’t transparent, he continued.

The council could vote to override Page’s veto with five of seven council members approving. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.