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Note 15 - Related Party Transactions
12 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2022
Notes to Financial Statements  
Related Party Transactions Disclosure [Text Block]

15. Related Party Transactions

 

Mr. Brad Juneau, who served as the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until  January 6, 2020, and the Company’s Executive Chairman until  November 11, 2021, and now serves as the Company’s Chairman is also the sole manager of Juneau Exploration, L.P. (“JEX”), a private company involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas.  On  December 11, 2020, the Company entered into a Second Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement (the “A&R MSA”) with JEX, which amends and restates the Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement between the Company and JEX dated as of  November 20, 2019. Pursuant to the A&R MSA, JEX will continue, subject to direction of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), to provide certain facilities, equipment and services used in the conduct of the business and affairs of the Company and management of its membership interest in the Peak Gold JV.  Pursuant to the A&R MSA, JEX will provide to the Company office space and office equipment, and certain related services. The A&R MSA will be effective for one year beginning  December 1, 2020 and will renew automatically on a monthly basis as of  December 1, 2021 unless terminated upon ninety days’ prior notice by either the Company or JEX. Pursuant to the A&R MSA, the Company will pay to JEX a monthly fee of $10,000, which includes an allocation of approximately $6,900 for office space and equipment. JEX will also be reimbursed for its reasonable and necessary costs and expenses of third parties incurred for the Company. The A&R MSA includes customary indemnification provisions.

 

The Company entered into Stock Purchase Agreements dated as of  June 14, and  June 17, 2021 for the sale of an aggregate of 523,809 shares of Common Stock at a purchase price of $21.00 per share of Common Stock, in the 2021 Private Placement to certain accredited investors.   The 2021 Private Placement closed on  June 17 and 18, 2021. The 2021 Private Placement resulted in approximately $11.0 million of gross proceeds and approximately $10.9 million of net proceeds to the Company. The Company will use the net proceeds from the 2021 Private Placement to fund its exploration and development program and for general corporate purposes. Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, purchased 47,619 shares of Common Stock, for a purchase price of approximately $1,000,000, in the 2021 Private Placement pursuant to a Purchase Agreement dated  June 17, 2021, on the same terms and conditions as all other purchasers, except that Mr. Nieuwenhuyse did not receive any registration rights.  The 2021 Private Placement to Mr. Nieuwenhuyse closed on  June 18, 2021. 

 

On  September 23, 2020, the Company completed the issuance and sale of an aggregate of 247,172 shares of the Company’s Common Stock, in a private placement to certain purchasers who are accredited investors. Of the total 247,172 shares issued, 32,874 were issued from Company’s treasury account.  The shares of the Common Stock were sold at a price of $13.25 per share, resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $3.3 million and net proceeds to the Company of approximately $3.2 million. The Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, purchased 75,472 of shares of Common Stock in the 2020 Private Placement, for total consideration of $1.0 million, on the same terms and conditions as all other purchasers. As a result of Mr. Van Nieuwenhuyse’s purchase, as of  September 23, 2020, his ownership interest in the Company was 2.2%. Petrie acted as the sole placement agent in connection with the 2020 Private Placement and received a placement agent fee equal to 3.25% of the gross proceeds raised from the subscribers whom they solicited, or a total of approximately $0.05 million in placement agent fees. Petrie has provided to the Company in the past, and  may provide from time to time in the future, certain securities offering, financial advisory, investment banking and other services for which it has received and  may continue to receive customary fees and commissions. The Audit Committee of the Company has reviewed and approved all agreements and arrangements relating to Mr. Van Nieuwenhuyse’s participation in the 2020 Private Placement. 

 

On  September 30, 2020, in a series of related transactions, Kinross, through its wholly owned subsidiary, acquired all of the interest in the Peak Gold JV held by Royal Gold and an additional 30.0% membership interest in the Peak Gold JV held by the Company.  The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, retained a 30.0% membership interest in the Peak Gold JV, with Kinross acquiring a 70.0% membership interest in the Peak Gold JV and becoming the manager and operator of the Peak Gold JV.  Prior to and in connection with the Kinross Transactions, on  September 29, 2020, Contango Minerals entered into an Omnibus Second Amendment and Restatement of Royalty Deeds (the “Contango Minerals Royalty Agreement”) with Royal Gold. Under the terms of the Contango Minerals Royalty Agreement, in addition to certain existing 2.0% royalties (the “2% Royalties”) and 3.0% royalties in favor of Royal Gold on the Alaska State mining claims, Contango Minerals granted an additional 1% net smelter returns royalty on those Alaska State mining claims that were already subject to the 2% Royalties, increasing the royalty rate on those Alaska State mining claims to 3.0%. These Alaska state mining claims were transferred to Contango Minerals as part of the transactions with Kinross, with Royal Gold retaining the 3.0% royalty. As a result of the Contango Minerals Royalty Agreement, Contango Minerals will be obligated to pay Royal Gold a 3.0% net smelter returns royalty on all properties subject to the Contango Minerals Royalty Agreement, subject to the terms and conditions of that agreement.

 

In addition, on  September 29, 2020, the Peak Gold JV entered into an Omnibus Second Amendment and Restatement of Royalty Deeds and Grant of Additional Royalty (the “JV Royalty Agreement”) with Royal Gold. Pursuant to the JV Royalty Agreement, the Peak Gold JV (i) granted to Royal Gold a 28.0% net smelter returns royalty interest on all silver produced from a defined area within the Tetlin Lease and (ii) transferred to Royal Gold the additional 1.0% net smelter returns royalty that it had retained on the Alaska State mining properties which were contributed to Contango Minerals, all subject to the terms of the JV Royalty Agreement.

 

The Company will be required to fund any royalty payments the Peak Gold JV is obligated to make to Royal Gold under the JV Royalty Agreement in proportion to its membership interests in the Peak Gold JV. The Company’s proportionate share of the additional royalty granted to Royal Gold pursuant to the JV Royalty Agreement has been partially offset by a cash payment of $1.2 million to the Company, designated as a reimbursement prepayment by Kinross for the Company’s estimated proportionate share of the additional silver royalty, in proportion to Company’s membership interest in the Peak Gold JV after the consummation of the transactions described above.  

 

On  January 1, 2022, our non-executive directors realized a vesting of 160,000 restricted shares of Common Stock, which resulted in federal and state income tax obligations.  Consistent with the Company’s treatment of employees who experience similar tax obligations in connection with their vesting of restricted shares, the Company purchased a total of 60,100 shares of Common Stock from the non-executive directors on  January 5, 2022, at a price of $25.60 per share (the applicable closing price per share of Common Stock for vesting on  January 1, 2022), resulting in aggregate payments of $1.5 million that will be used by the non-executive directors to pay their tax obligations on the vested shares.