The next listening forum for the Golden LEAF Foundation's Community Assistance Initiative program is scheduled for 2 p.m. July 29 at Edgecombe Community College's McIntyre Auditorium.

The Community Assistance Initiative will award up to $2 million to Edgecombe County if residents can reach a consensus about what the most important issues are that face the county.

The July 15 listening forum, which established Edgecombe County's first such consensus, ended without an agreement about a time and meeting place for the July 29 forum.

Several people from Rocky Mount requested that the next meeting take place in or near Rocky Mount. Other residents from Tarboro and rural Edgecombe County agreed that Tarboro was suitable to hold the listening forum again.

Mark Sorrells, senior vice president of Golden LEAF, agreed Tarboro was suitable, because it is Edgecombe County's seat and is a central location within the county.

Patricia Cabe, Golden LEAF's vice president of programs, has released a revised list of the consensus of the most important issues facing Edgecombe County.

Tourism received the most votes last week, followed by education, economic development and health and wellness.

The revised list weighed the votes by priority and places education at the top, followed by economic development, tourism and health and wellness.

The original list counted the number of votes each issue received, regardless of whether the vote named it the first, second, third or fourth most important in the county. The revised list took into account the priority of each vote.

According to Golden LEAF's "dream" timeline for Edgecombe County, the July 29 forum should reach strong consensus on key objectives for the $2 million. Also, the meeting should decide how projects will be prioritized, whether by a 20-person steering committee or another way.

Golden LEAF's Community Assistance Initiative is a non-competitive grant that will award North Carolina's 41 Tier 1 counties up to $2 million each. The grant will be renewable every 18-24 months, meaning possibly $10 million for Edgecombe County over the next decade.