ADDITION OF OFFICERS HINDERED BY BUDGET : RIORDAN REQUESTING DEFERRAL IN BRINGING 260 TO POLICE FORCE.

Byline: Patrick McGreevy Daily News Staff Writer

Mayor Richard Riordan conceded Thursday that the city's budget problems make his plan to add 710 police officers this year unaffordable and asked the City Council to defer the addition of 260 of the officers until next year.

In a letter to the chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee, Riordan proposed that the council allocate $6 million for police overtime to put the equivalent of 130 additional officers on the street through the rest of the fiscal year that ends July 1.

``The prudent use of overtime is the most cost-effective way to immediately ensure that sufficient officers are policing our streets,'' Riordan wrote to Councilman Richard Alatorre.

Riordan said he has received permission from the federal government to accept $53.4 million in federal matching funds linked to the 710-officer expansion and delay expending part of the funds until next year.

Mayoral spokeswoman Noelia Rodriguez said the mayor is not disappointed by the need to defer the expansion until next year.

``The budget is a tight one, but by following these recommendations it allows the police expansion to continue,'' Rodriguez said.

City Council members said they were not surprised that Riordan could not find the money to fully finance his expansion plan this year, noting that the city is facing a $30 million budget shortfall.

``There is no question we want more officers on the street, but we also want to balance the books and not bankrupt the city,'' said Councilwoman Laura Chick, chairwoman of the council's Public Safety Committee.

The problem originally arose last year when Riordan proposed a budget for the 1996-97 fiscal year that called for expanding the police force by 710 officers.

The council amended the budget to approve the expansion by 450 officers, but with the agreement that Riordan and the council would try to find the money to restore the other 260 officers.

Halfway through the year, the money is not there and, in fact, the city is deeper in the hole, according to council members.

``We can't afford them. We're running a deficit,'' said Councilman Nate Holden.

About $19 million of the federal matching funds was linked to the 260 officers and will be deferred to next year's budget, Riordan said.

The admission that the city cannot fully fund his police expansion plan this year comes just four months before Riordan is up for re-election. He won election four years ago promising the police expansion plan.