Budget cuts are forcing the NYPD to slash its head count next year, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly testified yesterday at a City Council hearing.

The force has budgeted for 34,600 in fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1, down from a projected head count of 35,437 this year, Kelly said.

He added that he is hoping to push up a class of new recruits from January 2014 to this July to mitigate the projected cut, which he attributed to “higher anticipated attrition of police officers eligible for retirement upon reaching their 20th anniversary.”

Council Public Safety Chairman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Queens) lamented the staffing decrease.

“I’m concerned, though — due to this attrition, which we all knew was coming, you are going to have 459 less police officers next year than FY13. We are already down at record low levels and 459 less police officers is not acceptable,” he said.

The head count peaked at 41,000 under Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Kelly also said the force’s overtime bill in FY13 jumped $30 million from the previous year.