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Note 9 - Formation of Joint Venture Company
6 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2016
Notes to Financial Statements  
Formation of Joint Venture Company [Text Block]
9.
Formation of Joint Venture Company
 
On
January
8,
2015,
the Company and Royal Gold, through their wholly-owned subsidiaries, consummated the Transactions contemplated under the Master Agreement, including the formation of a joint venture to advance exploration and development of the Company
’s Tetlin Properties, for gold ore and associated minerals prospects.
 
In connection with the Closing of the Transactions, the Company formed the Joint Venture Company. The Company contributed to the Joint Venture Company its Tetlin properties near Tok, Alaska, together with other property (the “Contributed Assets”) with a historical book value of
$1.4
million and an agreed fair value of
$45.7
million (the “Contributed Assets Value”). At the Closing, the Company and Royal Gold, through their wholly-owned subsidiaries, entered into a Limited Liability Company Agreement for the Joint Venture Company (the “Joint Venture Company LLC Agreement”).
 
Royal Gold serves as manager of the Joint Venture Company ("the Manager") and will initially manage, direct, and control the operations of the Joint Venture Company.
 
As a condition to the Closing, the Company and the Tetlin Village Council entered into a Stability Agreement dated
October
2,
2014,
pursuant to which the Company and the Tetlin Village Council, among other things, acknowledged the continued validity of the Tetlin Lease and all its terms notwithstanding any future change in the status of the Tetlin Village Council or the property subject to the Tetlin Lease.
 
At Closing, Royal Gold, as an initial contribution to the Joint Venture Company, contributed
$5
million (the “Royal Gold Initial Contribution”). The Royal Gold Initial Contribution did not entitle Royal Gold to a percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company. Therefore, at Closing, Royal Gold
’s percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company equaled
0%
and the Company’s percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company equaled
100%.
In addition, as part of the Closing, Royal Gold paid the Company
$750,000
which was utilized to partially reimburse the Company for costs and expenses incurred in the Transactions and is included as an expense reimbursement on our consolidated statements of operations.
 
 
         
The Joint Venture Company's LLC Agreement provides Royal Gold with the right, but not the obligation, to earn a percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company (up to a maximum of
40%)
by making additional contributions of capital to the Joint Venture Company of up to
$30
million (inclusive of the Royal Gold Initial Contribution of
$5
million) during the period beginning on the Closing and ending on
October
31,
2018.
If Royal Gold funds its full
$30
million investment by
October
31,
2018,
it will receive a percentage interest of
40%
in the Joint Venture Company, and the Company will retain a percentage interest of
60%
in the Joint Venture Company. From inception through
December
31,
2016,
Royal Gold has contributed approximately
$17.0
million (inclusive of the Royal Gold Initial Contribution of
$5
million) to the Joint Venture Company and earned a percentage interest of
20.6%.
 
The proceeds of Royal Gold
’s contributions to the Joint Venture Company (including the Royal Gold Initial Contribution) have been used by the Joint Venture Company to fund further exploration activities on the Tetlin Properties included in the Contributed Assets.
 
Both the Company and Royal Gold will have the right to transfer each of their respective percentage interests in the Joint Venture Company to a
third
party, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the Joint Venture Company's LLC Agreement. If either member intends to transfer all or part of its percentage interest to a bona fide
third
party purchaser, the other member will have the right to require the transferring member to include in the intended transfer the other member
’s proportionate share of its percentage interests at the same purchase price and terms and conditions. Once Royal Gold has earned a
40%
interest in the Joint Venture Company, it will have the additional right to require the Company to sell up to
20%
of the Company’s interest in the Joint Venture Company in a sale of Royal Gold’s entire
40%
interest to a bona fide
third
party purchaser. If Royal Gold exercises this right, the Company will be obligated to sell the relevant portion of its percentage interest to a bona fide
third
party purchaser on the same terms and conditions as the interest being sold by Royal Gold.
 
After
October
31,
2018,
or such earlier time as Royal Gold has earned a
40%
interest in the Joint Venture Company, the members will contribute funds to approved programs and budgets in proportion to their respective percentage interests in the Joint Venture Company. If a member elects not to contribute to an approved program and budget or elects to contribute less than its proportionate interest, its percentage interest will be recalculated by dividing (i) the sum of (a) the value of its initial contribution plus (b) the total of all of its capital contributions plus (c) the amount of the capital contribution it elects to fund, by (ii) the sum of (a), (b) and (c) above for both members multiplied by
100.
    
 
The Joint Venture Company is a variable interest entity as defined by FASB ASU No.
2015
-
02,
Consolidation (Topic
810):
Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis
. The Company is not the primary beneficiary since it does not currently have the power to direct the activities of the Joint Venture Company. The Company's ownership interest in the Joint Venture Company is therefore accounted under the equity method.