Fireworks came at the tail end of a Thursday hearing on raising Boston’s meals and lodging taxes, as City Councillor Maureen Feeney angrily engaged in a back-and-forth with a frequent City Hall critic.

Shirley Kressel, one of several residents who successfully sued the City Council for violating the state’s open meeting law, argued that that the tax hikes were unnecessary since the city can cut waste.

Among the last to testify on the Menino administration’s meals and hotels tax proposal, Kressel said that hotels were given tax breaks and city council staffers were allowed to take bonuses, boosting their salaries beyond what’s allowed under statutes.

Feeney, chair of the Government Operations Committee, interrupted Kressel several times. “I think we’ve heard more than enough,” Feeney said at one point. “No matter what the topic is, this is the testimony you deliver.”

Kressel then asked to finish her testimony and Feeney said she had 30 seconds.

Amid crosstalk, Kressel made a remark directed at several youngsters who as members of Sociedad Latina pleaded for the money raised from the increase to be used to help Boston Public Schools. Kressel said they were being used by City Hall officials and questioned who had asked them to be at the hearing.

“You are so disrespectful,” Feeney yelled, slamming down the gavel. “This hearing is adjourned.”

Feeney then came over to where Kressel was sitting and rapped her pencil on the desk. “You should run for City Council,” Feeney fumed.

“Then I’d have to work with you,” Kressel shot back.

Feeney and Kressel are also on opposite sides of the mayoral race. Feeney is supporting incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino; Kressel is supporting South Ender Kevin McCrea, a former City Council candidate who was among the residents waging the open meeting law suit.

City Councillor At-Large Michael Flaherty, also a mayoral candidate, spoke out against the increase, saying city officials should look to collect $66 million in unpaid parking tickets and stop the practice of letting retired workers be rehired, allowing them to collect a salary and draw a pension at the same time.

“Let’s do all of those first,” he said.

Flaherty argued that businesses, including diners, coffee shops and cafes, oppose the increase, despite support from industry leaders. “They weren’t invited,” Flaherty said. “It was the executives of these industries.”

Most of those who testified at the three-hour hearing supported the proposal. City Councillor At-Large and mayoral contender Sam Yoon said the city should pursue reforms, but added that he supported the increase. Other cities are also considering increases to meals and hotel taxes.

“There’s a lot more we could be doing,” he said, adding, “I’m not going to hold this hostage to those issues.”

Lisa Signori, Menino’s budget chief, said the increase will pull in $18 million ($11 million from the meals tax and $7 million from the hotels tax) for this fiscal year, and between $26 million and $28 million in the next fiscal year.

The money, making up less than 1 percent of the city’s $2.4 billion budget, also comes amid a decline in state aid to the city, she said.

The city currently depends mainly on two revenue streams: property taxes and state aid, she said.

The Boston Globe noted in an Thursday editorial: "For many years, Massachusetts lawmakers foolishly blocked cities from using local option taxes. Just recently, it dawned on legislators that they couldn’t strip Boston of $90 million in local aid without giving the city a way to fight back."

Tom Nee, head of the Boston Patrolmen's Association also voiced support. "This is the three-letter word everybody runs away from,” he said, referring to the word “tax.” “It’s tough no matter when you do it. Sometimes these things are just necessary.”