This is a verbatim dialogue between an attorney and a governemnt office worker. Most States have open records laws which dictate that when a member of the public requests a record of public information that governemnt entity may charge what it cost to make such a copy of that record. problem is it can be very arbritary and if the government entity hates pesky citizens asking too many qeustions they just raise the cost of making copies. That is until someone sues over it as that is usually the only recourse a member of the public has when the government entity takes it upon themselves to try an hinder or stop the public from seeing what they are doing.
I have filed over well over 200 open records requests all over the country. Some government entities are very good at responding and even have sent me falshdrives with the records I have requested, other not so much. I once had an estimated bill of $115,000 as the Sheriffs office tried to charge me $1 per page of email records I asked for plus something like $10k for redactions.