TOWN OF PATTEN, MAINE

"It’s remarkable how customer-focused and collaborative they are"

Patten is a small town in the North Woods of Penobscot County, Maine. With a population of about 880, it was first developed in 1828 for its vast timber supply and incorporated in 1841. As the first town north of the Mount Katahdin range and with access to the Allagash River basin, water power was abundant to favor the development of small mills, workshops and farming. Today, it lies just off the International Appalachian Trail, nestled in lush forests, surrounded by stunning mountains and lakes. Its residents and tourists enjoy peace, solitude, an escape from the hustle and bustle of city life, and plenty of year-round outdoor activities. The town is home to the Patten Lumbermen’s Museum.

The town started its collaboration with YPTC when it was preparing its annual budget. “YPTC was instrumental in assisting our staff with the accounting and audit preparations that we needed help with,” recalls Town Manager Gail Albert. “Although we’re a small town in a very remote part of northern Maine, we have many different departments and services so it’s a very dynamic town structure with complex accounting and controller needs.”

Albert extols the collaborative nature of the relationship. “In all of our touchpoints with YPTC they have been extraordinarily easy to work with. They’re very accommodating and flexible. Nothing is a crisis. I’ve found them to be very knowledgeable and flexible to meet our town’s needs, availability and budget. It’s remarkable how customer-focused and collaborative they are.”

Albert recommends YPTC to other small municipalities that don’t have the wherewithal to hire their own full-time controller services. “It’s important for our town’s residents to make sure the finances have an external eye on them with a subject matter expert in collaboration with our internal guidance.”

She highly praises YPTC’s ability to work with the town remotely. Although she’s never met YPTC Associate Chris Sumner, Albert feels that she’s “an asset to our staff and part of our team. The remoteness has never been an issue,” she says. “Working remotely via computer has been seamless.”