On average, employees of the city of Gainesville earn 7.7 percent less for entry level pay than their counterparts elsewhere in the state, and 2.1 percent below market at the middle of each pay grade, according to the results of a new study released Tuesday. City Council voted to implement the findings of the long-awaited pay study over the next two years, giving salary increases to most workers beginning in late July. However, with changes in the pay scales, no merit or cost-of-living increases will be given to employees in the 2016 fiscal year, which begins July 1.