City of Lowry Crossing Official Website — Compliance Review
> Last Updated: April 28, 2026
> Relevance: All Lowry Crossing residents, especially those seeking election information, meeting agendas, or city transparency
> Note: This review is published in good faith to support transparency. It is not a legal opinion, does not allege wrongdoing, and is intended to be constructive.
Overview
The City of Lowry Crossing maintains an official website at lowrycrossingtexas.org, hosted on the Revize platform. As a Type A General Law municipality in Collin County (population ~1.25 million), Lowry Crossing does NOT qualify for the small-city website exemption under §2051.201 (which only applies to cities under 5,000 in counties under 25,000 for certain meeting notice and record posting requirements). The city is fully subject to all Texas website posting requirements under Government Code §2051.201 (Subchapter F), the Texas Open Meetings Act (Chapter 551), and the Texas Election Code.
What the City Website Does Well
Before discussing areas for improvement, it's important to recognize where the city website is doing a good job:
- Meeting minutes are posted and current through March 24, 2026
- City Hall contact information (address, phone, hours) is in the footer on every page
- FY2026 budget data posted and current through March 2026
- Council page updated to reference 3-business-day agenda posting (HB 1522 compliance)
- Calendar shows upcoming meetings
- Council member email addresses are listed for Wards 1–3
- Fee Schedule is current ("Updated April 2026")
- Permit forms are available for download
- Board member lists (BOA, P&Z, Park Advisory) are posted
- Fire/EMS information is available
- Boards page includes members for Board of Adjustments, Planning & Zoning, and Park Advisory Board
Areas Needing Attention
1. Election Information — Not Yet Posted
Applicable Law: Texas Government Code §2051.201 (Subchapter F) requires continuous posting of election-related information. Texas Election Code §4.009 (added by SB 1116, 2021) requires that by the 21st day before an election, the website must post: each candidate on the ballot, each measure on the ballot, polling place locations, early voting dates/times/locations, and the early voting clerk's contact information. Election Code §65.016 requires election results to be accessible within 2 clicks of the homepage.
What the city website shows (as of April 28, 2026):
- Filing period dates for the May 2, 2026 Special Election (January 14 – February 13, 2026)
- Description of the election (two Ward 4 seats + proposition regarding tax rate)
- City Hall address and hours for filing
What has not yet been posted:
- Candidate names — three candidates have filed (Ollie Simpson, G. Hijazen, Donna Crenshaw-Outland) but are not yet named on the site
- Polling place locations
- Early voting dates, times, or locations
- Early voting clerk contact information
- Sample ballot
- Proposition A text
- Past election results
Status: The election is May 2, 2026. Under state law, this information was due by April 11, 2026. This may be an oversight that the city can still correct before Election Day.
2. Meeting Agendas — Unclear Accessibility
Applicable Law: Texas Government Code §551.056 requires municipalities that maintain a website to concurrently post the meeting notice AND the agenda on the website. As of September 1, 2025 (HB 1522), agendas must be posted at least 3 business days before the meeting date (changed from 72 hours).
What the city website shows: The "Meetings and Agendas" page exists and the council page now references the 3-business-day posting requirement (which shows awareness of HB 1522). However, the document library appears to rely on JavaScript-loaded content that may not be consistently accessible to all users or search engines.
3. Budget — Good Progress, One Detail to Address
Applicable Law: Texas Local Government Code requires posting annual budgets. As of September 1, 2025, when a budget is on a meeting agenda, the agenda must include a link to the proposed budget on the entity's homepage or a physical copy.
What the city website shows: "Proposed FY2026 Budget" with data current as of March 31, 2026 — a significant improvement. The one remaining question is whether the label "Proposed" should be updated to "Adopted" if the budget has been formally approved by council.
Additional Observations
4. City Council Page — Ward 4 Not Yet Added
Applicable Law: §2051.201 requires posting the name, office, and contact information of "each elected officer of the political subdivision."
What the city website shows: Council members for Wards 1, 2, and 3 are listed with names, titles, and email addresses at /operations/city_council.php. Ward 4 has not yet been added — Ollie Simpson (appointed late 2025) is not listed, and the vacant 1-year seat is not mentioned. Adding Ward 4 would bring the page into full compliance.
5. News & Public Notices — Appears Inactive
The homepage has a "Latest News" section with a "See more news" button, but appears to contain no content. The "Public Notices" page currently returns a 404 error, which may be a technical issue with the Revize hosting platform. While news updates aren't strictly required by statute, an active news section helps residents stay connected.
6. Tax Rate Information — Still Shows 2024
The Tax Rate page (at /tax_rate/index.php) shows the proposed tax rate for "tax year 2024." Updating this to the current 2025 rate would be especially timely given that Proposition A on the May 2 ballot proposes a rate reduction.
7. Newsletters — Gap in Archive
The last 2024 newsletter is from September 2024, and the next available issue is November 2025 — a 13-month gap. Recent issues (Nov 2025, Jan 2026, Mar 2026) are posted and current. The gap may reflect a period when newsletters weren't produced, or earlier issues may not have been uploaded to the current platform.
Legal Framework (Key Statutes)
- Texas Government Code §2051.201 (Subchapter F) — Information required on municipal website: elected officers (name, office, contact), election information, and general contact info must be continuously posted
- Texas Government Code §551.056 — Meeting notices and agendas must be posted on website
- Texas Government Code §551.021 — Meeting records must be posted
- HB 1522 (effective Sept 1, 2025) — Changed agenda posting from 72 hours to 3 business days before meeting date; requires budget links on agendas where budget items are discussed
- Texas Election Code §4.009 (SB 1116, 2021) — Candidate/measure/polling place info due 21 days before election on city website
- Texas Election Code §65.016 — Election results must be accessible within 2 clicks of homepage
- §2051.201 Exemptions — Small-city exception for meeting notice/record posting (does NOT apply to Lowry Crossing because Collin County population exceeds 25,000)
How the Civic Hub Helps
The Lowry Crossing Civic Hub (lowrycrossing.info) was built to complement — not compete with — the city's official website. Where there are gaps, we try to fill them with verified information:
- Election information: Full candidate profiles, ballot guide, Proposition A details at lowrycrossing.info/elections
- City Council: Complete listing of all wards including Ward 4 at lowrycrossing.info/city-leaders
- Meeting minutes: Searchable, AI-indexed archive of 128+ meetings at lowrycrossing.info/minutes
- Ordinances: Full searchable code with plain-English translations at lowrycrossing.info/ordinances
- Current news: Filtered, verified local news at lowrycrossing.info/news
- Who to Call: Verified utility and service provider directory at lowrycrossing.info/contact
We encourage residents to use the official city website as their primary source and this hub as a supplementary resource. The Civic Hub is NOT affiliated with the City of Lowry Crossing government.
New Resident Information — May Need an Update
The city's "New Resident Information" page at lowrycrossingtexas.org contains some information that may need updating:
- Lists Oncor correctly as an electric provider, but also lists "Texas-New Mexico Power" and "Greyson Colling" — which do not appear to serve the Lowry Crossing area
- Lists "Lone Star Trash" and "CARDS Recycling" for trash service — residents should verify current provider
- Lists "All American Dogs" for animal control — should be verified
For current, verified utility and service provider information, see the Civic Hub's Who to Call directory at lowrycrossing.info/contact.
Corrections Welcome
If the city or any resident believes any finding in this report is inaccurate, please contact [email protected] and we will investigate and update the report promptly. This report reflects the state of the website at the time of review and will be updated as improvements are made.