North Richland HillsCity asked $2.3 million for Flock records.
The Texas Privacy Coalition wants records on errors, misuse and effectiveness of the licence-plate cameras.
Officials said searching about a terabyte of communications would take 14 years of labour at $15 an hour.
Some cities gave 400,000 pages free, while officials quoted Houston station KPRC up to $121,000.
The Department of Public Safety is asking the attorney general to let it withhold all the Flock data the Texas Tribune requested.
How each outlet framed it
- Ars Technica leans critical
- shows how North Richland Hills quoted $2.3M to obstruct Flock oversight, exposing municipal FOIA fee weaponization
Sources: Ars Technica