Legislators representing Albert Lea gave mixed opinions Tuesday about the minimum wage deal reached this week in the Legislature.

The deal calls for raising the wage to $9.50 per hour within a few years with the wage to continue going up unless a governor’s administration applied the brakes, according to terms of an agreement announced Monday.

While District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, supports raising the minimum wage, he’s not sure $9.50 is the right target.

“We need to increase the minimum wage, but it’s a matter of finding the sweet spot,” Sparks said.

Sparks feared $9.50 could be a bit high, especially for rural border communities like Austin and Albert Lea that have to compete with states like Iowa, where the federal $7.25 wage threshold is still in place.

“I think $9.50 in the Metro area is much different than $9.50 in the rural area,” Sparks said.

He was pleased with the provisions to top wages out at $7.75 for small businesses, but he said $9.50 could be high for others.

Sparks said he also has concerns about provisions to increase the bill incrementally through inflation. He’d rather see the issue taken up more often, rather than being left for several years without changes.

“It would be better for everyone involved if we could do more modest, frequent wage increases,” he said.

The Senate will discuss and vote on the wage bill today.

District 27A Rep. Shannon Savick, DFL-Wells, called the agreement a “good deal.”

“I think people shouldn’t have to work two or three jobs to make a living wage,” Savick said.

She said some of the main people who oppose a minimum wage increase are the same people who want more restrictions on food stamps.

“You either have to give them a livable wage or give them support,” she said. “You give them a livable wage and they’ll work harder for their employers.”

She said in addition to raising the minimum wage, the state needs to discover how to get workers the right training for available jobs.

She noted 53 percent of workers in Minnesota are overqualified for their present positions.

A bill to boost the minimum wage was considered a must-do item after an agreement eluded lawmakers a year ago. It would affect some 350,000 workers at or near the bottom of the pay scale.

Minnesota’s current minimum is $6.15 for large employers, though most workers qualify for a higher federal minimum. Minnesota’s base rate hasn’t gone up since 2005. If the bill passes, Minnesota would go from having one of the nation’s lowest minimum wages to one of the highest.