City Website Transparency Report
Community review of lowrycrossingtexas.org — what the city website does well and where it could do more
Last verified: May 1, 2026
Published in good faith. This report is produced by the Lowry Crossing Civic Hub, an independent civic resource that supports the City of Lowry Crossing and its staff. Managing a municipal website with limited staff is challenging, and the city does a lot of things well. This review is intended to be constructive — recognizing what works while identifying areas where the website could better serve residents. Every finding cites the specific Texas statute that applies so both residents and city staff can verify independently.
Not legal advice. This report is a factual comparison of publicly available website content against published Texas statutes. It is not a legal opinion, does not allege wrongdoing, and is not intended to be adversarial. We encourage the city to consult the Texas Municipal League or city attorney for guidance on compliance priorities.
Why This Matters
Texas law requires cities to post specific information on their websites so residents can stay informed about their local government. These requirements were created by the Texas Legislature to support government transparency and public participation — goals we share with the city.
This report checks the city's official website against those state requirements and explains — in plain English — where it meets the standard and where there may be room for improvement.
What the City Website Does Well
The city website meets or exceeds the majority of Texas statutory requirements. City Hall staff maintains a substantial amount of content and keeps key sections current. These efforts deserve recognition.
- Meeting minutes posted and current — 71 City Council minutes plus multi-board archive
- Meeting agendas actively maintained — document library with 79 City Council and 83 board agendas
- City Hall contact info (address, phone, hours) displayed on every page
- FY2026 budget data posted and current through March 31, 2026
- Full Code of Ordinances accessible via eCode360
- Council page references 3-business-day agenda posting (HB 1522 awareness)
- Council member email addresses listed for Wards 1–3
- Fee Schedule updated April 2026
- Permit and development forms available for download
- Board member lists posted (BOA, P&Z, Park Advisory Board)
- Fire/EMS information available
- Election page posted with May 2, 2026 Special Election details
- Monthly newsletters published and archived (current through March 2026)
- City calendar shows upcoming meetings
Compliance Scorecard
Each row below represents a specific requirement from Texas law. We checked the city's website to see whether the required information is present and current. Only items with a clear statutory basis are included — we do not grade the city on features that are nice to have but not legally required.
How to Read the Ratings
| Requirement | Status |
|---|---|
Meeting minutes online 71 City Council + multi-board archive available and current | Met |
Meeting agendas online Document library active with 79 City Council + 83 board agendas | Met |
Contact info posted Address, phone, hours on every page footer | Met |
Ordinances accessible Full code available via eCode360, the standard municipal code platform | Met |
Current budget posted FY2026 data current through March 31, 2026 | Met |
Board member lists posted BOA, P&Z, Park Advisory Board members listed | Met |
Fee schedule posted Updated April 2026 | Met |
Permit forms available Building & development forms downloadable | Met |
Fire/EMS info available Fire/EMS page with department information | Met |
Election page exists May 2, 2026 Special Election announced with date, offices, and proposition details | Met |
All elected officials listed Wards 1–3 listed with emails; Ward 4 (seated late 2025) not yet added | Room to improve |
Candidate names on website Election page describes races but does not list individual candidate names (§2051.201) | Room to improve |
Polling places / early voting details Not posted on city site; available through Collin County Elections | Room to improve |
Tax rate current Shows 2024 rate ($0.14700); 2025 adopted rate not yet updated | Room to improve |
Opportunities for Improvement
With 10 of 14 items already meeting requirements, the city website is in solid shape overall. The following are areas where small updates could bring it to full compliance.
Election Details — Partially Posted
Applicable Law
Texas Gov't Code §2051.201 + Election Code §4.009 (SB 1116, 2021) — candidate names, ballot measures, polling locations, and early voting info should be posted on the city website by the 21st day before election day.
The city's election page is posted and describes the May 2, 2026 Special Election — including the two Ward 4 council seats and Proposition A (tax rate reduction). The filing period, election date, and proposition language are all provided. Adding the individual candidate names and linking to Collin County's polling/early voting information would complete the page.
Context: Many small Texas cities rely on the county elections office to publish polling details, and Collin County Elections does provide this information for all county elections. The statute technically requires it on the city's own website, but this is a common gap across small municipalities.
Civic Hub supplement: Full election guide with candidate profiles, Prop A details, and ballot information.
Council Page — Ward 4 Not Yet Added
Applicable Law
Texas Gov't Code §2051.201 — each elected officer's name, office, and contact information should be listed.
The city council page lists Wards 1–3 with names and email addresses. Ward 4 was created by Ordinance 391 (adopted March 2025), and Ollie Simpson was appointed to the 2-year seat later that year. Adding Ward 4 to the council page would bring it up to date. The 1-year seat is on the May 2 ballot.
Civic Hub supplement: Complete council listing including all four wards.
Tax Rate — Shows 2024
The tax rate page currently displays "tax year 2024" information with a rate of $0.14700 per $100 of value. Updating this to the current 2025 adopted rate would be helpful context for residents, especially with Proposition A on the May 2 ballot proposing a rate adjustment.
Additional Notes
A few other observations that aren't statutory requirements but may be useful for the city to know about:
Public Notices Link — Returns 404
The "Public Notices" link in the Quick Links section returns a 404 error. This appears to be a technical issue with the Revize platform rather than missing content. The city may want to contact their web hosting provider to fix the link.
Newsletter Archive Gap
The newsletter archive shows a gap between September 2024 and November 2025. Recent issues (Nov 2025, Jan 2026, Mar 2026) are posted and current. The gap likely reflects a period when newsletters weren't produced or weren't uploaded to the current platform.
Budget Label
The FY2026 budget data is posted and current through March 31, 2026 — which is excellent. The page is still labeled "Proposed FY2026 Budget." If the budget has been formally adopted by council, updating the label to "Adopted" would be a quick fix.
New Resident Utility Listings
The New Resident Information page lists "Texas-New Mexico Power" and "Greyson Colling" as utility providers, which do not appear to serve the Lowry Crossing area. A quick review of the utility listings could prevent confusion for new residents.
See verified Who to Call directory →How the Civic Hub Helps
The Lowry Crossing Civic Hub was built to complement — not compete with — the city's official website. Where the city site has gaps, we try to fill them with verified information so residents always have somewhere to turn. We encourage residents to use the official city website as their primary source and this hub as a supplementary resource.
Legal Framework
Every finding in this report is grounded in specific Texas law. Here are the statutes we checked against, explained in plain English.
Texas Government Code §2051.201 — Information Required on Municipal Website (Subchapter F)
What it means: Every city in Texas that operates a website must continuously post: the name, office, and contact information of each elected officer; current election information including candidates, ballot measures, polling locations, and results; and general contact information for the city.
Texas Government Code §551.056 — Open Meetings Act (Internet Posting)
What it means: When a city council schedules a meeting, the meeting notice and agenda must be posted on the city's website. This is part of the Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA), which ensures the public knows when their government is meeting and what topics will be discussed.
HB 1522 (effective September 1, 2025) — Updated Posting Deadlines
What it means: Meeting agendas must now be posted at least 3 business days before the meeting (previously 72 hours), and whenever a budget item is on a meeting agenda, the city must include a link to the relevant budget document.
Texas Election Code §4.009 (SB 1116, 2021) — Election Information Online
What it means: Cities must post candidate names, ballot propositions, polling place locations, and early voting details on their website no later than the 21st day before the election.
How We Conducted This Review
What we did: We systematically visited the accessible pages of lowrycrossingtexas.org and compared the content found against the posting requirements specified in Texas law. We documented what was present, what was absent, and what was partially available.
What this is not: This is not a legal opinion or accusation. It is a factual comparison of what Texas law requires cities to post online versus what was present on the city's website at the time of review. We acknowledge that website content can change at any time, and we will update this report as improvements are made. We also recognize that a small city's website will never look like a large city's website — and it doesn't need to. The goal is simply to confirm that the information the state requires is available to residents.
We welcome corrections. If the city or any resident believes any finding in this report is inaccurate, please contact us and we will investigate and update the report promptly.
Disclaimer: This report is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, does not allege any violation of law, and is not intended to be adversarial toward the City of Lowry Crossing or its employees. All statements are based on publicly available information and represent good-faith observations at the time of review. The Lowry Crossing Civic Hub is an independent resource not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of Lowry Crossing.
Contact: [email protected]