Photo by Deb Gau The Russell Bar and Grill is a gathering place and one of the few local businesses in the city of Russell. City officials said the business has now been sold to Jordan Handeland.

RUSSELL — The Russell Bar and Grill will no longer be owned by the city of Russell – but that doesn’t mean it’s closing down, city officials said. At a public hearing Wednesday night, city council members said the Bar and Grill has been sold to a new owner.

The Russell Bar and Grill property has been formally sold to Jordan Handeland, and Handeland took over operations of the business starting on Thursday, said Russell City Clerk Laurie Millner.

Handeland is the owner of the Hitching Post in Marshall, and in 2025, his company SWMN Properties, LLC purchased the former Church of St. Clotilde in Green Valley.

Russell Mayor Hilary Buchert and City Council member Glen Grant said the change in ownership was planned to coincide with the busy time of Russell’s community festival.

“The city wanted to make sure he had it for Bandwagon Days,” Grant said. “It’s nice to let him get that to start out his tenure.”

“And he’s got the staff to do it,” Buchert said.

On Wednesday, the Russell City Council held a public hearing on proposed changes to the city code that went along with the change in ownership. The hearing didn’t draw any members of the public, and after the hearing council members voted to repeal city codes establishing a municipal liquor store.

The repealed code sections, Sections 10.01 and 10.02, laid out the groundwork for Russell to operate a municipal liquor store. They also established a liquor fund and rules for how the city would handle the store’s staffing and finances.

Part of Section 10.01 also said the municipal liquor store would be the only place in Russell where retail off-sales of liquor would be allowed. Unless those portions of the city code were repealed, the new owner would not be able to get an off-sale liquor license, Buchert said.

“He could have done on-sale, but not an off-sale,” she said.

After the council’s actions Wednesday, the city of Russell will no longer have a municipal liquor store and bar.

“We will let (Handeland) have the on-sale, off-sale, and the grill portion,” Grant said.

Buchert said the city had been considering the possibility of selling the Russell Bar and Grill for some time.

“It’s been talked about for years,” she said. After the Bar and Grill’s previous manager resigned about six weeks ago, Buchert said the city started looking for potential buyers. “It was the opportune time. It made us look at it,” she said.

Buchert and Grant said Handeland was a good fit to purchase the Bar and Grill and keep it running.

“He’s got the management, the staff, the knowledge,” Grant said.

Being able to keep a local business operating was important for the community, Buchert and Grant said.

“It’s so fortunate that it happened this way,” Buchert said.