Jason and Amber Perkins have wanted to open a laundromat to the public since they bought the Ouray RV Park and Cabins in 2015. But city officials at the time interpreted the municipal code in such a way that it would have cost them more than $10,000 a year in water fees, an amount they simply couldn’t afford.

But when they recently approached the city again about the possibility of opening their laundry facilities to more than their RV and camping customers, they got a different answer on what ...