It wasn't the first time Dartmouth officials have complained about the state placing dozens of homeless families in a local motel. But a new report on the program drew some scathing comments from Select Board members Monday night.

The cost to the town was called downright “staggering,” and moving homeless families far from their previous towns of residence was called inhumane.

“If you read this report, you will to get to the point where you’re going to say ‘What the heck’s going on in the Commonwealth?’” said Chairman Shawn McDonald.

The report from State Auditor Suzanne Bump identified homeless families living at the Dartmouth Motor Inn through the state’s homeless shelter program, a policy that costs municipalities $13 million annually between education costs and lost tax revenue.

Dartmouth was one of 35 towns to participate in this survey.

The report used data from Dec. 2, 2014, as a “snapshot” date to collect information for the study. It found 42 families living at the inn on that date.

The report said the exact number of homeless families placed in hotels and motels throughout 2014 fluctuated between 1,700 and 2,000 in a given week. The number of families counted on the date of the survey was 1,730.

Town Administrator David Cressman called the program “bankrupt” in terms of how the program is operated and its implications for the affected families.

“What is the impact of this program on the town’s schools and the other town services? The impact is over $100,000, possibly more, for the school between special education costs and transportation costs,” Cressman said during the meeting.

According to Michelle Roy, the Assistant Superintendent for Dartmouth Public Schools, there are currently 100 homeless students in the district, though not necessarily through the state's programs.

She said as of Tuesday, the cost for providing transportation to homeless students has totaled $136,551.

The Commonwealth has provided emergency shelter for the homeless through temporary housing since 1983. The program is funded through the Emergency Assistance Program. State spending on the program has gone from $1 million to $40 million in the last six years.

Cressman took issue with the program’s policy of uprooting low-income families from their hometowns and placing them in motels designed for temporary stay.

“Is that a humane program? I suggest it’s not,” said Cressman.

On average, an federally funded stay at a hotel or motel for a family is seven months, costing $2,500 per month.

Compounding the problem is the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act, a program that calls for displaced homeless students to attend school in the town of their origin.

Bump’s report found that, in fiscal year 2014, Massachusetts communities paid $14.46 million in transportation services to comply with the act. Only $7.35 million was reimbursed by the state.

“There is a direct correlated cost of this program which lower-income communities have to bear. The Commonwealth is not stepping up and taking care of local mandates it puts on localities,” said McDonald.

McDonald echoed Cressman’s sentiments that the program has a human cost as well. He said there are ramifications for people moved from their own communities to a part of the state they likely have never visited.

“It bothers me that people are being forced to live in hotels and motels — generally one or two rooms — when there is a need of housing,” said McDonald.

Bump’s report recommended that the state fully reimburse transportation costs and consider other reimbursements for school-related costs that result from the two programs.

Christopher Garth, a member of the School Committee, cautioned that the issue is complicated because there are two distinct acts in play: the motel housing program from the state and the transportation program from the federal government.

“Our legislatures may be able to resolve the issue of the motels through some clearing up of some language and some better record keeping. That’s not going to make the McKinney-Vento problem go away,” said Garth.

He noted that none of the families living in hotels right now want to be there.

“They are not the problem themselves. The reality is that the economy has gotten better for many, not for those at the bottom,” said Garth.