AUSTIN (KXAN) — Recent mid-year campaign finance findings revealed that Austin City Council member Natasha Harper-Madison accepted $3,695 in campaign contributions after her runoff victory.

The filings show that although Harper-Madison was elected in December, she continued accepting contributions from January through March — a violation of local campaign finance rules.

Although Harper-Madison is in Mexico with the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber and other local officials, she released this statement:

“The hard part about being new to politics is sometimes you learn the rules the hard way. In this case, my team and I were unaware of the law preventing office holders from raising money immediately after their successful campaigns to pay down bills that were sent after Election Day. I fully understand the spirit of the law and am hopeful that the fact that most of the contributions in question came in just weeks after my runoff victory indicate that I am in no way actively soliciting donations at this time. I look forward to reconciling this innocent error.”

The violation is considered a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 per expenditure.