The move was one of the first actions of the City Council this year on its first regular session on January 6.
The Council approved P175.17 million under general fund expenses budget for the 29 departments and units of the city government.
The city government also allotted P80 million for "statutory and contractual obligations" sourced from 20-percent development fund.
The city government's mandatory budget for calamities and for gender concerns was pegged at P21.53 million each.
The City Engineer's Office got the highest allocation at P25.11 million, followed by Sangguniang Panlungsod (P24.67 million), City Health Office (P20.87 million), City Mayor's Office (P16.62 million), City Agriculture's Office (P15.08 million).
Total budget for non-office expenditures amounted to P134.9 million.
Among the notable non-office expenses under this item are P11 million as lump sum appropriation for wages of casual employees, P4 million for honorarium to CVO (Civilian Volunteers Organization)/ trainings, Seminars and Equipment, a P1.5 million budget for the interim schools division at P1.5 million.
About 29 percent of this item, reaching P38.93 million, was under "reserve for proposed city reorganization." The non-office expenses also include P5 million for debt servicing.
Mayor Florencio Flores Jr. told MindaNews earlier that they have started in phases the city government reorganization, "which means creation of new offices, hiring of appropriate personnel, and possibly hiring of casual and regular employees from the present stock of job order employees".
The reorganization from the structure of a town to a city came at least 10 years after 1998, when Malaybalay became a city.
As a consequence, the city would have its own school division starting June 2009, Flores said.
The city government employs 1,200 contractual workers and 378 regular employees, including the elected and appointed officials.
The five offices getting the highest budget for personnel are the Sangguniang Panlungsod (P13.56 million), City Health Office (P12.43 million), City Agriculture Office (P11.12 million), City Engineer's Office (P10.87 million), ands City Treasurer's Office at P7.76 million. (Walter I. Balane / MindaNews)