JOHNSTON — For the first time, a bank is holding off financing the town’s acquisition of new public safety vehicles, according to Mayor William R. Macera.

The town hasn’t heard from Bank of America since it approached the bank about a month ago seeking financing for the lease purchase of the vehicles, Macera said.

The mayor’s leasing proposal called for the acquisition of four police cruisers, two fire rescue trucks and other equipment.

The bank has financed such leases in the past without any problem, Macera said. The mayor speculated that the lender is simply being cautious because the town’s leadership is in transition and the incoming administration hasn’t yet established a track record. But others, including Mayor-elect Joseph M. Polisena, say the hang-up relates to the town’s unresolved deficit.

Either way, the town will have to wait for equipment that both men regard as essential to public safety.

A spokesman for Bank of America, Ernie Anguilla, said Wednesday that he was unable to comment on the situation. In general, the bank does not comment on its customers’ business, he said.

Polisena said he has learned that the bank would not come through with financing until the town’s current administration establishes a plan for reducing the deficit, which has been estimated at $7 million to $10 million.

The spending proposal calls for acquiring $582,000 in equipment, including the emergency vehicles, a dump truck for winter plowing, and plows. It also includes $3,000 for a hydraulic vehicle lift for the Department of Public Works’ mechanic. The town’s insurer regards the DPW’s current lift as a safety concern, according to Polisena.

Polisena said he learned about the financing hitch at a meeting he attended with Macera.

The town’s bond counsel, David H. Ferrara, of Cranston, and a financial adviser, Stephen Maceroni, of First Southwest, also attended the meeting.

Maceroni did not respond to a request for comment. Like Polisena, Ferrara said he also learned that the financing would not come through.

“I became aware that Bank of America was not willing to proceed,” he said, “and it was assumed that it was the result of recent news articles on the town’s finances.”

The articles at issue concerned warnings from state Auditor General Ernest A. Almonte, who told The Journal that town officials face possible state intervention if they fail to develop an acceptable plan for eliminating the deficit.

However, Macera has repeatedly asserted that the bank’s wariness is not related to any need for a deficit-elimination plan.

“They’re sitting tight now because of a very obvious reason,” he said. “There’s going to be a change in administration. With my administration, they had a known entity.”

Polisena chuckled when he heard Macera’s explanation.

“I have no comment,” he said.