RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Related Party Transactions [Abstract]

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Kaupulehu Developments is entitled to receive payments from the sales of lots and/or residential units by KD I and KD II. KD I and KD II are part of the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships in which Barnwell holds indirect 19.6% and 10.8% non-controlling ownership interests, respectively, accounted for under the equity method of investment. The percentage of sales payments are part of transactions which took place in 2004 and 2006 where Kaupulehu Developments sold its leasehold interests in Increment I and Increment II to KD I's and KD II's predecessors in interest, respectively, which was prior to Barnwell’s affiliation with KD I and KD II which commenced on November 27, 2013, the acquisition date of our ownership interest in the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships. Changes to the arrangement above, effective March 7, 2019, are discussed in Note 3.

During the nine months ended June 30, 2023, Barnwell received $265,000 in percentage of sales payments from KD 1 from the sale of one single-family lot within Increment I. During the nine months ended June 30, 2022, Barnwell received $1,295,000 in percentage of sales payments from KD 1 from the sale of six single-family lots within Increment I.

Mr. Colin R. O'Farrell, formerly a member of the Board of Directors of the Company from July 7, 2021 to March 7, 2022, is the sole member of Four Pines Operating LLC which owns a 25% interest in Gros Ventre. In February 2021, Gros Ventre and BOK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Barnwell, entered into the Teton Operating Agreement of Teton Barnwell, an entity formed for the purpose of directly investing in oil and natural gas exploration and development in Oklahoma. Under the terms of the Teton Operating Agreement, Gros Ventre makes no capital contributions and receives 2% of the profits of Teton Barnwell. Additionally, as the manager of Teton Barnwell, Gros Venture is paid an annual asset management fee equal to 1% of the cumulative capital contributions made to Teton Barnwell as compensation for its management services. Furthermore, as discussed above, Mr. O'Farrell controls Four Pines, which, as of June 30, 2023, was paid $255,000 in broker fees in connection with the oil and natural gas investment discussed in Note 6.

Cooperation and Support Agreement

In January 2023, the Company entered into a cooperation and support agreement (the “Cooperation Agreement”) with Alexander C. Kinzler, the Company’s CEO and President in his capacity as a stockholder, MRMP-Managers LLC, the Ned L. Sherwood Revocable Trust, NLS Advisory Group, Inc. and Ned L. Sherwood (collectively, the “MRMP Stockholders”), with respect to a potential proxy contest pertaining to the election of directors to our Board of Directors (the “Board”). The Cooperation Agreement extended for two years the standstill terms of the previous agreement entered into with the MRMP Stockholders in 2021, which ended the potential of a proxy contest at the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2023 Annual Meeting”), which was held on April 17, 2023.

Pursuant to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, among other things, the Company agreed to promptly appoint Joshua S. Horowitz and Laurance Narbut, effective February 9, 2023, to serve on the Board. In addition, the Company agreed to nominate a five-person board comprised of Mr. Kinzler, Kenneth Grossman, Douglas Woodrum, and Messrs. Horowitz and Narbut as candidates for election to the Board at the 2023 Annual Meeting and the 2024 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2024 Annual Meeting”) and Mr. Kinzler and the MRMP Stockholders agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock of the Company in favor of the election of the Company’s slate at the 2023 Annual Meeting and the 2024 Annual Meeting. Additionally, pursuant to the terms of the Cooperation Agreement, the Company terminated the previously adopted Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, although the MRMP Stockholders have agreed to limit their beneficial and economic ownership of the Company to 28% of the outstanding common stock of the Company for the next 12 months and 30% for the subsequent 12-month period. In exchange for this arrangement, the Company agreed to reimburse the MRMP Stockholders and Mr. Kinzler for their reasonable, documented out-of-pocket fees and expenses (including legal expenses) in connection with the negotiation and execution of the Cooperation Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby and the proposed nomination of directors at the 2023 Annual Meeting. In the nine months ended June 30, 2023, $190,000 and $149,000 in expenses were recorded for reimbursements to MRMP Stockholders and Mr. Kinzler, respectively, under the Cooperation Agreement.

In May 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors approved and ratified the payment of one-time special director fees to directors Messrs. Grossman and Woodrum for their services on behalf of the Company and the Board pertaining to the negotiations of the Cooperation Agreement and the settlement of the potential proxy contest. Mr. Grossman received a one-time special director fee of $100,000, which was paid in $40,000 cash and a stock grant of 22,728 shares of Barnwell common stock (valued at $60,000 using the closing price of Barnwell's common stock on May 11, 2023, the date of grant). Mr. Woodrum received a one-time special director fee of $50,000, which was paid in $20,000 cash and a stock grant of 11,363 shares of Barnwell common stock (valued at $30,000 using the closing price of Barnwell's common stock on May 11, 2023, the date of grant).