Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Note 4 - Long-Term Obligations and Operating Lease

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Note 4 - Long-Term Obligations and Operating Lease
 6 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2013
Debt and Capital Leases Disclosures [Text Block]
NOTE 4 – LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS AND OPERATING LEASE

The Participating Interests in Export Water Supply and the Tap Participation Fee 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 2012 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, 2013 and February 29, 2012. 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, 2013, 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, 2012:
                                       
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
    111,300       (77,900 )     (33,400 )     (12,100 )     (21,300 )
Balance at August 31, 2012
    754,700       27,802,700       3,468,800       1,208,900       2,259,900  
Fiscal 2013 activity:
                                       
Export Water sale payments
    93,900       (65,700 )     (28,200 )     (9,800 )     (18,400 )
Balance at February 28, 2013
  $ 848,600     $ 27,737,000     $ 3,440,600     $ 1,199,100     $ 2,241,500  

* 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 $5.1 million of the first priority payout (the remaining entire first priority payout totals $7.3 million as of February 28, 2013).

Arkansas River Agreement Obligations

The Tap Participation Fee. The $69.8 million Tap Participation Fee liability at February 28, 2013, 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 19,427 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 19,427 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 Tap Participation Fee percentage from 10% to 20%, and to take a corresponding 50% reduction in the number of taps subject to the Tap Participation Fee, and (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 expanses for managing the leases and a reasonable overhead allocation) received by HP A&M from management of the farm leasing operations.

The fair value of the Tap Participation Fee 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 Tap Participation Fee calculated by projecting future annual water tap sales for the number of taps subject to the Tap Participation Fee 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 Tap Participation Fee at the date of the revaluation, which was September 1, 2011. 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 $120.6 million, which is an increase of $7.5 million from the previous valuation completed in fiscal 2009. 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 5.3% which was a 1.0% decrease from the prior valuation completed in fiscal 2009. Based on review of the underlying assumptions used in the Tap Participation Fee valuation as of September 1, 2011, there have not been any material changes to these assumptions and therefore no revaluation of the Tap Participation Fee is deemed necessary.

The $69.8 million balance at February 28, 2013, includes $24.2 million of interest which has been imputed since the acquisition date, recorded using the effective interest method. Payment of the Tap Participation Fee 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.

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 financial statements. An important component in the Company’s estimate of the value of the Tap Participation Fee, 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 Tap Participation Fee 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 Tap Participation Fee.

Promissory Notes Payable by HP A&M in Default. 60 of the 80 properties the Company originally acquired from HP A&M are subject to outstanding promissory notes payable to third parties that are secured by deeds of trust on the Company’s properties and water rights, as well as mineral interests. During the Company’s fiscal year ended August 31, 2012, HP A&M defaulted on over 50% of the promissory notes and informed the Company that it does not intend to pay any of the amounts owed on the remaining notes. HP A&M owed approximately $9.6 million of principal and accrued interest at the time of default. These promissory notes are 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 Tap Participation Fee; (iii) terminate the Property Management Agreement; and (iv) recover damages caused by the defaults, including certain costs and 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 may be entitled to reduce the Tap Participation Fee and recover damages caused by the defaults, including certain costs and attorney’s fees. The Company intends to pursue such remedies over the next 12 months.

To protect its land and water interests, during the six months ended February 28, 2013, the Company purchased approximately $5.8 million of the $9.6 million notes payable by HP A&M. 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 reasonable 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. HP A&M owed approximately $8.8 million and $9.6 million at February 28, 2013 and August 31, 2012, respectively.

Operating Lease

Effective December 18, 2012, 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 $1,540 per month.