Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS AND OPERATING LEASE

v2.4.0.8
LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS AND OPERATING LEASE
6 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2014
Long-Term Obligations And Operating Lease  
LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS AND OPERATING LEASE

NOTE 4 – LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS AND OPERATING LEASE

 

The Participating Interests in Export Water Supply and the TPF payable to HP A&M are obligations of the Company that have no scheduled maturity dates. Therefore, these liabilities are not disclosed in tabular format, but they are described below.

 

Participating Interests in Export Water Supply

 

The Company acquired its Rangeview Water Supply through various amended agreements entered into in the early 1990’s. The acquisition was consummated with the signing of the CAA in 1996. Upon entering into the CAA, the Company recorded an initial liability of $11.1 million, which represented the cash the Company received from the participating interest holders that was used to purchase the Company’s Export Water (described in greater detail in Note 4 – Water Assets to the 2013 Annual Report). The Company agreed to remit a total of $31.8 million of proceeds received from the sale of Export Water to the participating interest holders in return for their initial $11.1 million investments. The obligation for the $11.1 million was recorded as debt, and the remaining $20.7 million contingent liability was not reflected on the Company’s balance sheet because the obligation to pay this is contingent on the sale of Export Water, the amounts and timing of which are not reasonably determinable.

 

The CAA obligation is non-interest bearing, and if the Export Water is not sold, the parties to the CAA have no recourse against the Company. If the Company does not sell the Export Water, the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock are also not entitled to payment of any dividend and have no contractual recourse against the Company.

 

As the proceeds from the sale of Export Water are received and the amounts are remitted to the external CAA holders, the Company allocates a ratable percentage of this payment to the principal portion (the Participating Interests in Export Water Supply liability account) with the balance of the payment being charged to the contingent obligation portion. Because the original recorded liability, which was $11.1 million, was 35% of the original total liability of $31.8 million, 35% of each payment remitted to the CAA holders is allocated to the recorded liability account. The remaining portion of each payment, or 65%, is allocated to the contingent obligation, which is recorded on a net revenue basis.

 

In fiscal years 2007 and 2008, in order to reduce the long term impact of the CAA, the Company repurchased various portions of the CAA obligations in priority. The Company did not make any CAA acquisitions during the three or six months ended February 28, 2014 and 2013. As a result of the acquisitions, and due to the sale of Export Water, as detailed in the table below, the remaining potential third party obligation at February 28, 2014, is $3.4 million:

 

    Export Water Proceeds Received     Initial Export Water Proceeds to Pure Cycle     Total Potential Third party Obligation     Paticipating Interests Liability     Contingency  
Original balances   $ —     $ 218,500     $ 31,807,700     $ 11,090,600     $ 20,717,100  
Activity from inception until August 31, 2013:                                        
Acquisitions     —       28,077,500       (28,077,500 )     (9,790,000 )     (18,287,500 )
Option payments - Sky Ranch and The Hills at Sky Ranch     110,400       (42,300 )     (68,100 )     (23,800 )     (44,300 )
Arapahoe County tap fees *     533,000       (373,100 )     (159,900 )     (55,800 )     (104,100 )
Export Water sale payments     269,300       (188,500 )     (80,800 )     (28,100 )     (52,700 )
Balance at August 31, 2013     912,700       27,692,100       3,421,400       1,192,900       2,228,500  
Fiscal 2014 activity:                                        
Export Water sale payments     43,000       (30,100 )     (12,900 )     (4,500 )     (8,400 )
Balance at February 28, 2014   $ 955,700     $ 27,662,000     $ 3,408,500     $ 1,188,400     $ 2,220,100  

 

* The Arapahoe County tap fees are less $34,522 in royalties paid to the Land Board.

 

The CAA includes contractually established priorities which call for payments to CAA holders in order of their priority. This means the first three payees receive their full payment before the next priority level receives any payment and so on until full repayment. The Company will receive $4.9 million of the remaining first priority payout (the remaining entire first priority payout totals $7.1 million as of February 28, 2014).

 

Arkansas River Agreement Obligations

 

The Tap Participation Fee. The $24.6 million TPF liability at February 28, 2014, represents the estimated discounted fair value of the Company’s obligation to pay HP A&M 20% of the Company’s gross proceeds, or the equivalent thereof, from the sale of the next 7,126 water taps sold by the Company.

 

Initially the obligation was to pay 10% of the Company’s gross proceeds, or the equivalent thereof, from the sale of 40,000 water taps sold after the date of the Arkansas River Agreement. The 40,000 water taps were reduced to 7,126 water taps as a result of (i) sales of Arkansas River Valley land in 2006 and 2009, (ii) the sale of unutilized water rights owned by the Company in the Arkansas River Valley in 2007, (iii) the election made by HP A&M, effective September 1, 2011, pursuant to the Arkansas River Agreement, to increase the TPF percentage from 10% to 20%, and to take a corresponding 50% reduction in the number of taps subject to the TPF, (iv) the allocation of 26.9% of the Net Revenues (defined as all lease and related income received from the farms less employee expenses, direct expenses for managing the leases and a reasonable overhead allocation) received by HP A&M from management of the farm leasing operations from September 1, 2011 to August 3, 3012 prior to termination of the Property Management Agreement, and (v) the reduction of 12,301 taps as the result of foreclosures on certain farms pursuant to the remedies outlined in the Arkansas River Agreement (2,233 in fiscal 2013 and 10,068 in the six month period ended February 28, 2014).

 

The fair value of the TPF liability is an estimate prepared by management of the Company. The fair value of the liability is based on discounted estimated cash flows subject to the TPF calculated by projecting future annual water tap sales for the number of taps subject to the TPF at the date of valuation. Future cash flows from water tap sales are estimated by utilizing the following historical information, where available:

 

• New homes constructed in the area known as the 11-county “Front Range” of Colorado from the 1980’s through the valuation date. The Company utilized data for this length of time to provide development information over many economic cycles because the Company anticipates development in its targeted service area to encompass many economic cycles over the development period.
     
• New home construction patterns for large master planned housing developments along the Front Range. The Company utilized this information because these developments are deemed comparable to projects anticipated to be constructed in the Company’s targeted service area (i.e. these master planned communities were located in predominately undeveloped areas on the outskirts of the Front Range).
     
• Population growth rates for Colorado and the Front Range. Population growth rates were utilized to predict anticipated growth along the Front Range, which was used to predict an estimated number of new homes necessary to house the increased population.
     
• The Consumer Price Index since the 1980’s, which was utilized to project estimated future water tap fees.

 

Utilizing this historical information, the Company projected an estimated new home development pattern in its targeted service area sufficient to cover the sale of the water taps subject to the TPF at the date of the revaluation, February 28, 2014. The Company revalued the TPF payable as of August 31, 2013 and February 28, 2014 due to the reduction of taps subject to the TPF as a result of the exercise of remedies under the Arkansas River Agreement. The estimated proceeds generated from the sale of those water taps resulted in estimated payments to HP A&M over the life of the projected development period of $39.5 million, which is a decrease of $63.2 million from the previous valuation completed at August 31, 2013 ($102.7 million). The estimated proceeds as of August 31, 2013 was estimated to be $102.7 million, a decrease of $17.9 million from the previous valuation in fiscal 2012. The estimated payments to HP A&M are then discounted to the current valuation date and the difference between the amount reflected on the Company’s balance sheet at the valuation date and the total estimated payments is imputed as interest expense over the estimated development time using the effective interest method. The implied interest rate for the most recent valuation was 7.2%.

 

Actual new home development in the Company’s service area and actual future tap fees inevitably will vary significantly from the Company’s estimates, which could have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. An important component in the Company’s estimate of the value of the TPF, which is based on historical trends, is that the Company reasonably expects water tap fees to continue to increase in the coming years. Tap fees are market based and the continued increase in tap fees reflects, among other things, the increasing costs to acquire and develop new water supplies. Tap fees thus are partially indicative of the increasing value of the Company’s water assets. The Company continues to assess the value of the TPF liability and updates its valuation analysis whenever events or circumstances indicate the assumptions used to estimate the value of the liability have changed materially. The difference between the net present value and the estimated realizable value will be imputed as interest expense using the effective interest method over the estimated development period utilized in the valuation of the TPF.

 

Payment of the TPF may be accelerated in the event of a merger, reorganization, sale of substantially all assets, or similar transactions and in the event of bankruptcy and insolvency events. Pursuant to the default provisions of the Company’s agreement with HP A&M, the Company reduced the discounted present value of the TPF by $11.7 million during the fiscal year-end August 31, 2013 and an additional $36.2 million during the six months ended February 28, 2014. The Company recorded the decrease in the TPF payable as an equity transaction due to the related party nature of the original transaction. Through February 28, 2014, $28.2 million of interest has been imputed since the acquisition date, recorded using the effective interest method.

 

During fiscal year 2013, four of the farms and one FLLC certificate representing water rights only went through foreclosure proceedings due to the defaults by HP A&M. The Company’s agreement with HP A&M provides for a reduction of the number of water taps subject to the TPF payable to HP A&M in the event the farms or water rights are subject to foreclosure proceedings or other risks of loss. During fiscal year 2013, the Company reduced the number of taps by 2,233 taps and the discounted present value of the Tap Participation Fee by a total of approximately $11.7 million as a result of the foreclosures. As of August 31, 2013, there were 17,194 taps subject to the Tap Participation Fee. During the six months ended February 28, 2014, an additional 22 farms and one FLCC certificate representing water rights only, collectively including 5,483 FLCC shares, were foreclosed resulting in a reduction of the number of taps subject to the TPF by an additional 10,068 taps (approximately $36.2 million of the TPF), leaving 7,126 taps subject to the Tap Participation Fee. Subsequent to February 28, 2014, an additional seven farms including 1,558 FLCC shares, were foreclosed resulting in a reduction of the number of taps subject to the TPF by an additional 2,861 taps (approximately $9.9 million of the TPF), leaving 4,265 taps subject to the TPF.

 

Promissory Notes Payable by HP A&M in Default. Approximately 69 of the 80 properties the Company originally acquired from HP A&M were subject to outstanding promissory notes payable to third parties that were secured by deeds of trust on the Company’s properties and water rights, as well as mineral interests. HP A&M defaulted on all of the promissory notes and informed the Company that it does not intend to pay any of the amounts owed. HP A&M owed approximately $9.6 million of principal and accrued interest as of September 1, 2012. These promissory notes were secured by approximately 14,000 acres of land and 16,882 FLCC shares representing water rights owned by the Company.

 

On July 2, 2012, the Company formally notified HP A&M that its failure to pay the promissory notes constituted an Event of Default under the Seller Pledge Agreement (as defined below) and a default of a material covenant under the Arkansas River Agreement. The Company informed HP A&M that unless such defaults were cured within thirty days, the Property Management Agreement would be terminated and the Company would proceed to exercise certain rights and remedies under the Arkansas River Agreement, the Seller Pledge Agreement, and the Property Management Agreement to protect its assets. The Company’s remedies at law and under the Arkansas River Agreement and related agreements include, but are not limited to, the right to (i) foreclose on 1,500,000 shares of Pure Cycle common stock issued to HP A&M and the proceeds therefrom (the “Pledged Shares”) which were pledged by HP A&M pursuant to a pledge agreement (the “Seller Pledge Agreement”) to secure the payment and performance by HP A&M of the promissory notes described above; (ii) reduce the TPF; (iii) terminate the Property Management Agreement; and (iv) recover damages caused by the defaults, including certain costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees.

 

On August 3, 2012, the Company formally terminated the Property Management Agreement. On September 27, 2012, the Pledged Shares were sold at auction in a foreclosure sale for $2.35 per share, yielding approximately $3.42 million of proceeds to the Company (net of fees of $110,000). Pursuant to the Arkansas River Agreement, the Company is reducing the TPF and is entitled to recover damages caused by the defaults, including certain costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees. The Company is currently pursuing its remedies and will continue to pursue such remedies over the next 12 months.

 

To protect its land and water interests, during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2013, the Company purchased approximately $7.0 million of the $9.6 million notes payable by HP A&M. During the six months ending February 28, 2014 the Company purchased an additional approximately $1.2 million of notes payable by HP A&M. The Company is negotiating the purchase or other settlement of the remaining $1.4 million in notes with the holders of these notes. HP A&M continues to be liable for making the required payments on the notes, and the Company is pursuing remedies to recover the costs and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by the Company in protecting the rights and title to the land and water rights securing the notes payable by HP A&M, including the costs incurred in purchasing the notes defaulted on by HP A&M. The amount owed on the outstanding notes was approximately $6.6 million, including accrued interest of $142,900 and approximately $7.9 million, including accrued interest of $122,000, at February 28, 2014 and August 31, 2013, respectively.

 

Operating Lease

 

Effective January 2013, the Company entered into an operating lease for 1,200 square feet of office space. The lease has a two year term with payments of $1,530 per month.