STOCKTON — The San Joaquin Delta College Board of Trustees has wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and violated open government laws by discussing closed-session matters outside its meetings, charges a San Joaquin County civil grand jury report released Wednesday morning.

The seven-page report found the board made decisions that have "caused serious problems'' and that trustees were "ill-prepared'' to handle the Measure L funds, a $250 million school bond approved by San Joaquin County voters in 2004.

"The Delta College Board of Trustees made decisions which have caused serious problems and wasted millions of Measure L funds,'' the report reads. "The District needs capable trustees who are able to meet the task of bringing Delta College into the 21st Century.''

In 2003, Delta College and PCCP Mountain House, LLC — a group led by Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos — began working on a plan to develop their respective properties in Mountain House. Kamilos, who has planned to build hundreds of homes adjacent to the college in the master-planned community, promised to provide $14 million to cover Delta's fees and infrastructure costs.

At a closed-session meeting held by the board on Feb. 9, 2006, the college's attorney and administrative team said a developer would be missing the deadline for delivery of letters of credit, resulting in a breach of contract. The board then discussed the possibility of returning to a deal offered by the city of Tracy to put the campus on the corner of 11th Street and Chrisman Road, according to the report.

The city offered the college a 108-acre site, including all fees and infrastructure, which was estimated to cost upward of $10 million. The city also offered to limit Delta's costs and pay another $2 million for joint-use facilities. College staff estimated they could save as much as $50 million by selling the Mountain House property and accepting the Tracy offer, which was eventually rejected by the board.

The day after the closed-session meeting, the report says, phone calls and a faxed letter indicated that one or more board members had relayed confidential information about the "breach of contract'' discussion to the developer and his consultant, Dean Andal, the Republican nominee for the 11th Congressional District seat in November.

"If true, this is a violation of the Brown Act,'' the report reads. "The Grand Jury has no confidence in the Delta College Board of Trustees as they are currently constituted.''

Andal was out of the area Wednesday and unavailable for comment, a campaign spokeswoman said. Kamilos did not return calls seeking comment.

Original college estimates pegged the cost of building the first phase of a campus in Mountain House at $55 million. But as recently as this past January, the cost has soared to about $94 million, and is expected to rise further, with taxpayers bearing the burden. The current plan calls for portable buildings to house the students.

The campus was anticipated to open within 24 months after a groundbreaking ceremony in Oct. 2006. Last August, college President Raul Rodriguez said the project was on track. As of Wednesday afternoon, there has been little work done at the Mountain House site, with no roads or lights installed and the latest opening date pushed back to spring 2009.

The estimated costs do not include funding for the final two phases of construction.

"Private agendas and public bickering have delayed the progress of the use of bond funds,'' the report reads. "This has resulted in a reduction of projects that will be completed and has caused the complete cancellation of other projects. Therefore, costs have risen by tens of millions of dollars due to inflation.''

Trustee Ted Simas, who is in his fourth term on the board, said the report was "100 percent on.''

He called the findings the result of "micromanaging from the board members.''

"Hopefully, out of all this, the outcome will be for the betterment of the college,'' Simas said. "Unfortunately, in all this, people forget that the students come first. Much of what I blew the whistle on, I tried to get the board to rectify among ourselves first. But I am a member of that board. I give my apologies to the public. I am not singling myself away from the Board of Trustees.''

Reach Mike Martinez at 209-832-3947. or mike.martinez@bayareanewsgroup.c