A new open-air stadium and renovations to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex's Legacy Arena got one step closer to reality with last Tuesday's passing of Amendment 14.

The amendment, which safeguards about 630 local bills from being invalidated in court, passed in Alabama with nearly 70 percent of the statewide vote. The local bills protect funding for police and fire departments, hospitals and education, among others, but most importantly for the stadium's sake, allow Jefferson County to issue a one-cent sales and use tax. Judge Michael Graffeo had voided a state law allowing the tax back in December.

The sales and use tax could provide funding for the renovations and new stadium which could cost up to $300 million.

"Lots of planning and other elements have to go in place to move the needle forward, but without that, there would have been no moving forward," said Hatton Smith, CEO Emeritus of Royal Cup Coffee. "It's a huge victory for the city."

Smith, along with several Birmingham business leaders, has played a major role in the restoration of UAB football. He is a board member of the UAB Athletics Foundation and has been part of an advocacy group in meetings with BJCC CEO Tad Snider and other city and county leaders.

A new stadium would host UAB football along with possibly the AHSAA Super 7, Magic City Classic, Birmingham Bowl and other events. A renovated Legacy Arena would put it back in contention to host NCAA Tournament games.

"I don't know any naysayers who are not for a new stadium," Smith said. "It's a prerequisite for a major city. The great news is that there is funding in place and hopefully the plans will equate to the funding that's available to us.

"If we have a first-class stadium, that sends a message to the outside world that Birmingham is on the move, which I think it is."

Smith believes that the only roadblock would be soil composition issues. The plan would be to get the stadium built by the 2019 football season.

UAB head football coach Bill Clark has talked about the stadium with recruits, but now can sell it even more.

"If you said two things about UAB football, you've got this great city that loves football and this great university that's growing," Clark said. "You'd say we have to have a facility. We answered that (construction has started on UAB's football operations building).

"If you talked about the whole city and metro area, what we need and deserve is a new stadium.

To have something brand new in such a great location which lends itself to people wanting to come to games. It'll be new, it'll be state of the art, it'll revitalize that whole area. It's such a big deal for us."

Construction can't start soon enough for Clark as he prepares his team for a 2017 return to the gridiron with home games at historic Legion Field.

"To get that thing going by '19, we've got to get to work," Clark said. "I feel like that's where we are heading. From talking to people today, I think that's what they are working on."

But is it that simple?

Jimmie Stephens, who is on the BJCC Board of Directors and is the Jefferson County District 3 Commission President, said nothing would have been able to proceed without the passage of Amendment 14.

Stephens and the Jefferson County Commission have asked the Alabama Supreme Court for adjudication on resolutions that were halted because Graffeo struck down the tax last year. If not, they would ask for a quick adjudication by Graffeo, because it would go back to his court.

There is no timetable for this, but the commission is hoping for a quick process. Amendment 14 covered much more than possible funding for a stadium and BJCC renovations, as revenue will be available for education, hospitals and more.

The BJCC could then go forward into the bond market to borrow money though debt refinancing would provide some funding for the project.

"It would give us a funding source or a realistic avenue would would participate and help in the funding of a new stadium," Stephens said.

Stephens said he wished he could put his foot on the first shovel, but right now, it's in the hands of the court system.

Stephens said that the commission, BJCC and UAB are in favor of the stadium. But he fears that the Birmingham City Council is not.

He's right - but there's one issue. City Council president Johnathan Austin said there has not been a representative from the BJCC or UAB speak to the council on how they would build or finance a downtown stadium.

The city council has been a vocal proponent for UAB football, supporting the program with a $2.5 million funding agreement over five years with a resolution in April.

Austin said the city council is absolutely in favor of the BJCC's expansion. As for a stadium, he feels that if UAB wants one, it should build one on its land. He and the council are thinking bigger and want a dome by the BJCC instead of an open-air stadium.

And if a dome is built, the council would certainly welcome UAB playing its home games there.

"To even consider doing anything less than building a dome that would host not only football games and year-round events is shortsighted, in my opinion," Austin said.

But, the BJCC master plan includes the open-air stadium. If it is built, it will benefit UAB football and the potential for sporting event in Birmingham.

But getting it done will require work and cooperation. With the passing of Amendment 14, it starts now.