State officials, hoping to get property tax relief checks to New York homeowners this year sooner rather than later, are sending the payments weeks earlier in the calendar than they did a year ago.

The checks will average about $350 each, returning some $750 million to the pockets of taxpayers, state officials said.

While getting often unexpected rebate checks may delight some taxpayers, the program represents flawed fiscal policy, argued David Friedfel, director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission, a fiscal watchdog group.

"That money could be better used to build reserves or pay for the local governments' share of Medicaid costs," Friedfel said. He said the rebate checks come with both administrative and postage costs that could be avoided.