Chilmark selectmen unanimously voted this week to join a federal lawsuit against prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Chilmark is the second Island town to join the litigation, which includes some 75 cities and towns from Massachusetts and hundreds more from other states. Aquinnah selectmen voted last week to join the lawsuit as well.

Among other things, the complaint alleges that opioid manufacturers and distributors knew the substances were addictive and chose to aggressively market them anyway, creating an addiction cycle that benefited their business. The lawsuit will be litigated in an Ohio federal court.

Lauren Goldberg, an attorney who is involved in the litigation, presented the case to Island selectmen late last month.

“We want to join this lawsuit,” selectman Warren Doty said at the board’s regular meeting Tuesday.

It will not cost the town to join.

In other business, selectmen approved new annual fees for nonresident recreational bay scallop permits. The fee will go up from $50 to $150. Seniors (over age 70) will pay $25.

Chilmark shellfish constable Isaiah Scheffer said town has seen an influx of nonresident family scallopers in recent years and wanted to bring the permit fees more in line with other Island towns.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense for us to have a cheap permit for nonresidents,” he said.

Selectmen agreed to put out a request for proposals (RFP) for a new playground for the Chilmark School.

The playground has fallen into disrepair after 20 years of use and the big toy needs to be replaced. At the annual town meeting on Monday, voters will be asked to spend $70,000 for playground renovations.

Selectmen discussed formalizing new leases between the town and the school, which shares the community center, library and parking lot campus.

They also agreed to give their backing to head of school Susan Stevens to give students in the Chilmark preschool priority for kindergarten placement. The preschool is privately run but housed in the Chilmark School.

There has been disagreement recently over the practice among members of the up-Island regional school district committee.

Mr. Doty said he attended several school committee meetings and found that the school committee was concerned about giving public school preference to children who attend a private school.

Speaking to the Gazette by phone, Ms. Stevens said she believed there was an unspoken agreement that the preschool serve as a feeder for the small K-5 Chilmark School.

“It undermines the purpose of the preschool if kids are not guaranteed a seat,” Ms. Stevens said.

The issue surfaced this year when kindergarten requests exceeded the maximum enrollment of 25 students.

Selectman and board chairman Bill Rossi said he considered the matter a district decision.